🐌 As Slow as a Snail? 🐌

My next-door teacher popped over before the pledge this morning.

“Have you used these before?” she whispered excitedly as she quickly showed me some silicone doodads.

Kids looked up from their morning work.

“They are tea-bag holders, and I thought you might like them,” she added. I thanked her, hugged her, and stuffed the little baggie in my coat.

Kids’ eyes quizzically followed her out of the door.

I gave them that look and shook my head.

Back to business for us.

When I reached home, I remembered the baggie. I was eager to examine the contents.

Out popped five candy-colored silicone snail tea holders. Snails! They are pesky in the garden but adorable as tea-bag holders.

I took a picture (above) and sent it to my friend to thank her again for her thoughtfulness. What a sweet, out-of-the-blue gift.

Good colleagues do make for a positive work environment.

As I washed the silicone snails before putting them away, I thought about how I wouldn’t like to be them — those mollusks — which have their notoriety for being slow stamped in the vernacular.

Besides being crushed underfoot, who wants to be “as slow as a snail”?

Yet, something must be said about not rushing and being slow.

Slow and deliberate, that is. Slow and thoughtful. Slow and intentional.

In this instance, I’m thinking about my writing for Medium.

I’m moving slowly.

Because this is not the season for me to pour everything into this platform.

I initially signed up to read what others have written. And I continue to do that.

But I love writing, and I want to put my all into it.

When the time is right.

For now, it is learning and enjoying the process.

I may be an outlier here.

But it’s okay.

It’s okay to be a snail. .🐌

(Just don’t crush me!)

What about you? Do you fear being the outlier here? Or are you a fellow snail?