Helpful?

I've sat here and watched amazing displays of wildlife. I've seen hawks, bald eagles, coyotes, raccoon's, more insects and snakes than I care to remember, alligators and turtles. For some reason much too often I see people trying to 'help' these animals.

Does a bald eagle really need someone to put out a thawed turkey from Publix to feed it?

Do we really need to catch the snake and 'relocate' it someplace 'safer'?

If 'relocating' the alligators is so helpful, how come it keeps coming back to the same spot a month later?

The one people seem to feel a compulsive need to 'help' the most often are the turtles. I'm not talking little turtles here, I'm talking turtles that have shells over a foot in width. They've obviously survived a long time to get to this size, yet my neighbors keep 'helping' them. Today I was watching one tottle down the street towards the lake/pond when someone saw it, stopped their golf cart, picked it up, and moved it from the street to my yard. Now we're not talking a busy street here, remember that most of us drive golf carts up and down the streets here. This poor turtle had worked a long time to get to where he was, then when 'helped' into my yard they put him back about 20 feet farther from the water he was headed to. I watched him go back into the street and start off towards the pond again, only to have someone else stop and put it into the grass even farther back from the water than he was the last time!

Again he wandered back into the street and headed towards the water. This time he almost made it when someone picked him up and put him in the grass. At least this time it was the grass where the lake/pond is!!! Each time someone would pick him up his legs would thrash and his head would whip all around. Wouldn't you take this to mean 'leave me the hell alone'?

Watching this scene play out got me to thinking about my friends and acquaintance's who are trying to 'help' me. I know you love me, and I know you only have the best of intentions in your heart, but please stop telling me about the 'real job' you heard of that I'd be perfect for. I am more than satisfied doing (or not doing) what I am for now. Please stop trying to get me to date this great guy you know. I don't want to date right now. I'm not ready. I don't know if I'll ever be ready again, but when/if I am I promise you all will be the first to know.

I am bored at work, but I have a job where I'm not going to be downsized or outsourced or closed down. I make barely enough money but I know my job isn't going anywhere. Right now it's the safest thing in my life, ok?

I'm lonely, I miss J. I miss DD. I miss being held and stroked and touched and yeah, I really miss having my hair pulled and lead to the bedroom by him holding my arm and leading me. I'm not ready to let someone else in that deep into my heart yet. I gave J my soul, I believed I'd spend the rest of my life safe in his heart. I'm not ready to risk being hurt again. Please give me time to figure out who I am now before I try to find someone to 'complete' me.

Help is given with the best of intentions, but like that turtle today, sometimes you just need to be left alone to tottle towards the water at your own pace.