Ojo’s journey to the sea

Ojo was born in a deep dark pit, where the desert sand meets the sea. When he opened his eyes, the only thing that he could see was darkness and the only sound that reached him was the crashing waves of the sea. He knew by instinct that he had to somehow make his way to the mighty sound of the waves that kept beckoning him – it was his home and his haven.

Enthused to reach his destination soon, Ojo did not know that the journey would be so tough and teach him the lesson of a lifetime. His feet could feel the sand beneath, along with the broken shell through which he had struggled to emerge in this new world. He could see his siblings doing the same, coming out from the shells that was their home for so long. Climbing out of the pit was a tough task as their little feet could not hold on to the fine sand.

As with any green turtle, they were born orphans. Their mother came from the sea to dig a pit in the sand, and after laying the eggs she returned to the vast expansive water world. Her baby turtles would never see her nor could recognise her. They were abandoned at birth.

When finally they came out of the pit, the wind was blowing so hard, they found it difficult to move forward through the sand. It was a tough journey and one with many dangers. And soon, Ojo’s worst fear came true. He could feel a different kind of presence, and then saw two glowering eyes. It was a desert fox, out on a hunt. The baby turtles started moving fast towards the sea. Ojo could hear one of his brother’s cry out and then another – the fox had got them. He knew death could not be his fate so soon, so he put his life’s strength in running towards the waves. The sea was still a distance away. Ojo could almost feel the breath of the fox on his back, and then he prayed.

At that instance, a giant wave came rushing to the shore, it lifted Ojo up high, tossing him around. He did not resist and let go, as the wave took him to his home, the sea. He surrendered to its mighty power for he knew that he was safe in letting go. In this surrender the tiny, vulnerable baby turtle became a part of the mighty sea.

This is the story of Ojo, the green turtle who learnt two of the greatest lessons in life within a few hours of being born – self effort and surrender.