It’s no secret that here at Everyday Sunday, we’re big fans of the turtle. However, this friendly creature plays a much larger role within our brand than just our logo—it has been a constant companion since the beginning of our journey! When Everyday Sunday was founded, we based major part of our philosophy around its admirable traits, as they are an inspiration for a life well-lived.
For as long as humans have walked the Earth, there have been turtles. Thus, many different cultures, such as Aboriginal, Chinese and Greek, have been telling stories about this reptile for centuries.
Longevity
The turtle has been on the Earth for 220 million years. The average land turtle has a lifespan of 40 years whereas sea turtles can live into their 80’s. With a similar lifespan to humans, we should be inspired by sea turtles for their strength, steadiness and endurance.
All Aboriginal tribes revere the turtle as a sacred animal. Although the exact cultural view can differ from one tribe to the next, the deeper symbolism of this creature remains the same–it represents Grandmother Earth, the embodiment of healing, wisdom, spirituality, health, and longevity. With a long life comes great life lessons…
Steadfastness & Perseverance
The turtle is also a symbol of perseverance and steadfastness, teaching us how much there is to gain from growing at a slow but constant pace. The fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” dates back to ancient Greece and describes how despite its slow pace, the tortoise prevailed because of its consistency and focus. The modern-day saying “Slow and steady wins the race” derives from this fable and rightly embodies the spirit of the turtle, reminding us that whatever our limits or our reality, steady efforts allow us to attain our goals. Being patient and taking our time allows us to observe, reflect, and find balanced solutions to bring our ambitions to life.
In Chinese culture, the turtle is one of the Four Auspicious Beasts (along with the phoenix, the tiger, and the dragon). Regarded as a sign of knowledge, perseverance, prosperity, and long life, many Chinese homes display images or sculptures of turtles to offer support, success, and prosperity to their family.
Wisdom
The turtle is a symbol of calm in moments of great turbulence. It reminds us to cultivate inner peace and balance. At Everyday Sunday, if life becomes overwhelming, we like to remind ourselves, “Wait, we are losing touch with our symbol!”. We then take a time out (yes, adults need those too sometimes!), reflect on what the turtle symbolizes and remember that with the right attitude, everything moves forward.
Nathalie, one of Everyday Sunday’s co-founders,
has an extensive turtle collection dating back to childhood.
3 SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS
The health of turtles, and whether they are present or not, is an indicator of the overall state of the environment where they can be found.
The ocean’s lawn mowers
As with your lawn, seagrass needs to be trimmed constantly. Cutting it back forces it to grow across the sea floor instead of growing into tall, long blades. Seagrass beds provide important breeding and developmental grounds for a wide variety of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Without these areas, many marine species we eat would be lost, as would other dependent creatures lower on the food chain. Green sea turtles are one of the few animals to eat seagrass. If they were to go extinct, there would be a serious effect on their ecosystem and therefore, a decline in all the species who depend upon them for survival.
Keeping our beaches healthy
Very little to no vegetation grows on dunes and beaches, since sand does not retain nutrients very well. When sea turtles use the lower dunes to nest and lay their eggs, vegetation begins to grow again by absorbing nutrients from leftover eggshells and nests. As plants grow and get stronger, their root system helps retain the beach sand from eroding away. This in turn allows the turtles to return the next nesting season, continuing to improve the health of the beach year after year. It’s the circle of life!
In danger of extinction
An estimated 1 in 1,000 turtles will survive from egg to adulthood. Although the number of natural obstacles sea turtles are faced with is staggering, it’s the increased threats caused by humans such as commercial fishing, marine debris, beach erosion and artificial lighting along the coast that are driving them to extinction.
STC PARTNERSHIP
This year, we donated funds to support the Sea Turtle Conservancy, an international non-profit organization and the world’s oldest sea turtle research and conservation group.
By understanding the threats sea turtles face and the benefits of habitat protection and conservation, we become more sensitive to the issues facing our entire planet. We at Everyday Sunday want to share what we've learned in the hopes of inspiring you to help turtles and the environment.
Sources:
3. https://www.uniguide.com/turtle-meaning-symbolism-spirit-animal-guide
Science and Conservancy
1. https://conserveturtles.org/information-about-sea-turtles-why-care/