For the last ten years I have read that sign, looked at the speeding traffic and thought – “Yeah sure they do!”

On Friday I was on the cork screw ramp that curls up to the freeway when there it was – a small turtle crossing the road.

At first I thought it was a piece of rubber – then it moved. I glanced in the mirror and saw the car behind me was some distance back. I put on my brake lights and the guy behind me raised his hand to stop the traffic behind.

The traffic stood still as little black turtle, neck outstretched purposefully, made his way across the road. It was a surprising moment and I felt blessed to see it.

Sometimes finding the time for creativity feels as unlikely as a turtle crossing a busy road. It is tempting to put off living our creative lives until we find a quiet moment, a perfect studio etc.

I think there’s a lot to be said for the turtles example, be bold, strike out and maybe a miracle will happen. Sometimes if we just start doing what it is we want to do the rest falls in to place.

[Thanks to Daniel James for making his photo of a turtle crossing a road available under Creative Commons licence on Flickr. Arkansas is a long way from Australia, but I'm sure the turtles had similar things on their mind.]