On the job

I don't like to use 'Spice of Life' to talk about my personal life. It's a place for my ideas and thoughts, that's all. However, what happened today is something that deserves to be written on. It's the first time I can remember yelling out in anger and frustration for a long time.

After finishing some work on the fishing pier at the state park, I drove past a dark spot just off the road. Until my mind caught up with what I had seen, I thought it was a torn garbage bag. Then I realized what it was. I got out of the truck and walked over. It was a painted turtle. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been pasted by whatever had hit it. Then there would have been no suffering. The turtle had been clipped on the back right part of its shell. There was a huge bloody crack in the shell, but it still tried to scramble away when I got close. The other three legs were fine but, because the other was utterly useless, all the turtle could do was spin slowly to its left. I should have ended it then. There was no way that turtle would heal. All it was good for now was food for whatever scavenger happened upon it. Instead, I stopped my manager before he drove back to the office, took him to see the turtle and passed the decision off on him. He said to get it out of sight, into the woods a few feet, and that's what I did. The grass I put it in was thick, but I don't know if they eat grass. If it's still alive when I work again on Tuesday, I'm finishing it off. All it has to look forward to is that fox I saw earlier eating it, and I doubt it'll have the mercy to kill the turtle first. It was pathetic.

Advice, empathy, validation, I accept it all.