The Tao of Noko

(Originally posted Dec. 3, 2010)

This Blog Discusses:

The other day, I went shopping for Noko Noko, the turtle. I bought him some clean pine bark for bedding, water purifier with added calcium vitamins, reptile disinfectant, dry skin conditioner, and a new humidity gauge (I think his old one is broken). It would be fun if I could save these items for Christmas and let Noko have presents too, but the sad truth is that there is not one thing in that bag that can wait for those three weeks until Christmas. I’d rather not wait for a holiday to kill the salmonella germs, if it’s all the same to the rest of you.

This has made me more aware of how everything that Noko enjoys is also a necessity. Meals, exercise, burrowing, soaking in water and basking under a heat lamp are really Noko’s greatest and only pleasures. And he needs all of those things to stay alive and healthy. He honestly doesn’t like toys, treats or anything else that’s superfluous to his survival.

I would love to make some profound statement on how it would be a perfect world if we could all be like turtles and enjoy only the things we needed. But we all know it wouldn’t be perfect. It would be kind of boring and uninspiring. For better or worse, humans really do need treats, entertainment, root beer and other distractions. I’m glad that I have the capacity to enjoy them, even if they can make life a hassle.

It’s just kind of neat that Noko doesn’t need them. Good for Noko.

-Marj