LETTERS FROM JET
SLAKKIE

June, 2000

Hi all,
On Sunday the weather was nice with a good temperature. There was hardly any wind, so it was a perfect day to do some gardening without triggering my pain. While I was pulling weeds, Jo-Anne my youngest of 6 was observing the snails she found in our garden.

She has always had this fascination for bugs and little garden animals that have made their home in our garden. Two years ago, for the entire summer, she was fascinated by worms.  Last year it was bumble bees that drew her total attention and this year she is absolutely fascinated by snails. Luckily for her, we have many snails in our garden They come in all sizes and varieties <g>.

This day, she lay flat  on her belly on the lawn with her nose pushed into the flower borders to watch these slimy creatures. While observing them, she kept talking and commenting on what the snails were doing.  She tracked one she liked and gave him a name . She called him "Slakkie."

Slakkie was a big brown/white spotted snail with a house on his back.  His house was rebuilding its outside cover (sort of peeling the outer layer). I listened as I was gardening and it was like listening to a radio where I got a minute-to-minute update about how slow Slakkie moved, how funny it was, what he did with the long antennae on top of his head, the small antennae under his head, the different colors snails had and a lot, lot more. She talked and talked and I listened and listened, getting ready for the inevitable ... "Big Questions" about "THE life of SNAILS"

I must admit that I was a bit  worried about this part, because my knowledge of snails is rather primitive and my approach to these little animals is rather cruel, to say the least. Basically my approach and knowledge does not go much further than: "knowing how to get rid of them." I know a number of  methods for "removing" snails,  the most gentle of which is throwing them into the neighbor's garden <g>. I concluded my knowledge of snails was not only limited but especially not fit to share with a young child of six who had just became friends with a snail called Slakkie. 

Indeed, I had a problem. I realized the snail questions would inevitably come because of the intensity of Jo-Anne's observations and because of the affection she felt for her new animal friend, Slakkie.  After 30 minutes of observation, she came to me with Slakkie walking on her arm. Every time Slakkie stuck his antennae out, trying to find out where in heaven's name he was, Joanne touched Slakkie's antennae.  Poor Slakkie.  He didn't stand a chance of finding that out because Jo-Anne was too amused watching him pull his antennae in as a reflex every time she touched them

I decided to take a break from the gardening, drink a cup of tea  and spend time on Jo-Anne's new discoveries . I told Jo to get a glass jar to put Slakkie in or to put Slakkie on a leaf because of the salt on her skin. Snails are not particular fans of salt because it can destroy /damage their tissue. (I at least know  that much about snails.....<evil gardener grin>) 

Jo-Anne decided to get a glass jar and while I pored my  tea, she placed the snail on the bottom of the glass jar and we all started watching Slakkie . She found another snail in our garden and placed him in the bottom of the jar so Slakkie wouldn't feel alone. 

Slakkie moved slowly around in circle for a bit, intensely using all his antennae and the tools he was given by nature to survive. He must have concluded there was no escape but up when he discovered  then when he raised his head and antennae, there was space without bumping into the glass or the other snail.

The other snail, in meantime, stayed in his house and was probably too frightened to show himself or explore his new environment. Slakkie continued his actions with five pairs of eyes focused on  him, one grandmum, two parents and two children watching his movements closely, all the time discussing the life of snails and sharing whatever information/experiences we had gathered in our individual lives with snails.

Jo-Anne was thrilled when Slakkie started climbing up. In fact, we all got a bit exited because after  the general questions and discussions about snails  -- e.g. do they move 25 cm or 30 cm an hour (even the Internet was searched),  a new "Big Question" arose. "Will Slakkie be able to climb up on the wall of the slippery glass jar and escape, especially  with the heavy house he's carrying on his back?" 

We all thought he wouldn't be able to do this because of the size of his house and the way the house moved on his back, making him lose his balance if he stretched too much . It looked to us like an impossible mission.  This made Jo-Anne happy because we had an agreement that Slakkie would be returned to his own habitat (our own garden and not the neighbor's <g> ) if he managed to climb out of the jar.

It took Slakkie two falls and over two hours to climb out of that jar. How did he accomplish this?  He managed to climb out at his own speed by being persistent and trusting in the survival tools given to him by nature. Slakkie was presented with a huge predicament when Jo-Anne put him into that jar, but somehow, he managed to climb out.

Click here to see Slakkie in motion

I am so glad I stopped working in the garden  -- to become a part of Jo-Anne's openness to all the beauty surrounding us every second of the day.: )  Watching Slakkie as he climbed out of that jar reminded me of some of life's most important lessons.  

Slakkie showed me that even though prospects might not be very promising,  there is usually a way out, as long as you don't give up searching for solutions and are open to new possibilities. Watching Slakkie, I experienced patience. Watching Slakkie also reminded me to take every step with caution, to be as certain as possible, before deciding on taking any step or making any decision when in the middle of a serious situation. 

Watching him and his fellow snail who decided to stay in his house in the glass jar, reminded me that when faced with a problem,  every living being is unique and must work with his individual strengths at that particular moment in time.  Watching Slakkie, certainly on a mission to set himself free,  reaching out slowly and intensely,  using his body, house and all his antennae with an incredible grace, made me aware we are all beautiful, living beings, worthy of being taken seriously and must be treated and approached with respect. If others cannot see this, teach them yourselves, just like Jo-Anne taught me this last Sunday.

Watching Slakkie made me wonder if he suffered from TN or some kind of serious pain because Slakkie and I do seem to follow some of  the same patterns in our unique lives. I concluded  after some thought that all living beings share one thing in life - we *all* have the instinct and strong will to survive and to try to have a worthy life.

Thank you Jo-Anne and Slakkie (who's btw living a free life in his own habitat, my garden )

Love to you all Bye for now Jet

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