Monday, January 23, 2012

tortugas

turtle egg  enclosure

it's times
like this
that you
feel like
you are
riding a wave.
exhilarated
and then suddenly
pulled under...
tumbling down
and around.
a
mouthful
of
sea water.
then
you reach
and come
back up
into
the sunshine.
breathing
the air
again.

i look
at the
calendar
and
the month
is
two-thirds
over.

soon
we will
be back
in switzerland.

grub & i often
talk
about
the two
different
types of trips.
relaxing trips
and
adventure trips.
relaxing is
like going
to sea ranch.

mexico
is
always
an
adventure.


i have had
moments
that were
relaxing,
but
it is all
so new
and
so different
that
i can
never
be
totally relaxed.

my eggleston

there are
moments
that make
up for
all the
stress
and worry.
for all
the fear.

bucket of baby turtles
tortuga
21_turtleface

one of
them
was
watching
the
baby sea turtles
desperately
crawl
towards the sea.

bugheart_jan21_turtles

watching
these
turtles
disoriented
and
so very small
against
the backdrop
of the ocean,
i thought
that
compared to them
my life is
so easy.
my struggles
are few.

bugheart_jan21_phototaking1

we couldn't resist

their struggle
is the embodiment
of all that
i have studied
in biology.
the struggle
to survive.

bugheart_jan21_moreturtles

it's so
much more
than just
making
it to the water
because
the water can
be just
as dangerous
as the shore.

sunshine_turtles
21_fisheyeturtles
21_fisheyeMe4

some people
thought
i was crazy
to take
my 3.5 month
old baby
to mexico
but
even though
i have
wondered
if we did
the right thing
when
i cannot sleep
at wee hours
of the morning.

there is one
thing
i have learned
and
hope to teach
my daughter
by example...

21_fisheyeMe1

all
the most
wonderful
things in
life come
with some
risk.

21_fisheyeMe5

don't be
afraid
to catch
that wave
even if
it may pull
you under.
you can reach
and find
your way
back up
to the surface
and
into
the sunshine.

xo

lapunta

{all fisheye photos & panorama above by my friend maria ikenberry}

5 comments:

shari said...

such an inspiring post, gwen. thank you. xo

Julia said...

yes. thank you for sharing this journey and these words with us gwen. sometimes it is so hard to take risks, but it is indeed the key to all the good that follows.

Anonymous said...

You are beautifully brave and a wonderful mother and you absolutely did the right thing by bringing her here. She is soaking in so much love and shine and chillax vibe, and that can only be a great thing. I am sure of this because I can see it with my very own eyes.

Good work, lady.

Isabelle said...

Wow. This really made me think about the ways I hope to parent my child. I really agree with what you've written. We're expecting our first baby in a few months and there are so many things like this to think about. We'll likely be traveling a lot with our young kids, even though it may not be ideal. Thanks for your wise and comforting words.

Camilla Engman said...

Wonderful post, both in words and pictures!