The world has a lot of troubles and would be a much better place if it had turtles instead.
That’s what Jenn Ellis believes, and she’s quite willing to help spread turtles — and smiles — far and wide.
Ellis has been hiding teeny, tiny turtles all over Cheyenne in public spaces, as well as anywhere else she’s traveled for the past week or so.
“The world has so much negativity at times, and it’s so easy to get caught up and wrapped up in that,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “These little things take your mind off it, even if just for a second.”
The tiny turtles are all hidden where people go, and Ellis will post clues from time to time in the group “Tiny Tim and Tiny Tom the Positivi-turtles” on Facebook.
Blowing It Up
Ellis used to paint rocks and hide them for a similar purpose, but she likes the tiny turtles better in some respects.
“This is something that I can do on a bigger scale,” she said.
And it’s a good thing, too. Because while turtles may be known for taking their sweet time to get around, Ellis’ idea has taken off a bit like a teenager given the keys to her very own Maserati.
“I didn’t think it was going to blow up quite so big as it has been,” Ellis said. “I’m so glad the community has invested in it as they did. It gives me some hope that, when I do this more, the community will get really into it, and they’ll have a good time just getting out in nature and not on their phones and looking for something that sparks joy.”
Since she began the campaign, people have been sending her friend request after friend request, as well as messages offering to buy more turtles.
That means, of course, more turtles than ever are coming soon.
“I’ll hide them in, like, different public areas throughout the city,” Ellis said. “And when I go to Saratoga’s free hot springs, I’ll probably end up hiding some out there. So, just kind of public areas where people might see them and it might bring them a little joy.”
A Ducky Idea
Ellis started the turtle campaign last week after seeing a TikTok by a girl who was hiding little ducks all over the house for her boyfriend to make him smile.
“I was like, you know, that would be such a cool thing to do for the community,” she said. “Like, go out and hide something really tiny just to spread joy.”
She bought some tiny turtles from Amazon. They arrived in two colors, so she named: Tiny Tim for dark green, and Tiny Tom for yellow.
Ellis learned the “Tiny Tim” story while working at a preschool.
“He like eats up all the soap and drinks up all the water and gets bubbles in his throat,” she said. “You have to pop all the bubbles.”
It’s a goofy story that makes her smile. That made it the perfect name for the Positivi-turtles.
Ellis and her life-partner Vince Piester have made a little game out of hiding Tiny Tims and Tiny Toms all over Cheyenne. Piester does the driving, while Ellis spots the best tiny turtle hidey-holes.
Then they help each other hide the turtles, thinking all the while of the joy and fun someone will have once they find one.
Small Gestures Can Be Huge
Ellis has long had a habit of doing things to pick others up. Before turtles, she started a feel-better campaign at the Kum and Go where she works, placing stickers on cups to make people smile.
“I’m like, hey, I know this is just a sticker,” she said. “It’s just a Band-Aid for whatever is going on. But I hope that it just makes you smile when you see it today.”
It’s a small gesture, but Ellis knows just how big tiny things can be.
“I struggled pretty heavily with mental health and depression when I was a teenager,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “And I didn’t always know how long I was going to make it.”
Next year, she’ll be 30, an age she wasn’t always sure she’d see.
“But here I am, out making it,” she said. “And I can’t wait to see what (the next 30 years) will bring.”
Ellis lost an uncle not long ago. He died after a self-inflicted injury.
“The biggest thing I learned from that is you never know the smallest impact that you’ve made on people’s lives and what that can look like,” she said. “You don’t think about all these lives that you’ve touched in the smallest way, like those strangers you interact with at Walmart and the gas station.
“And maybe that person thinks of you as somebody who brightens their day consistently, and that’s why they go there.”
While her uncle always thought he didn’t have many people who cared about him, there were many people at his funeral who counted him a dear friend.
“They grieved him just as much as the rest of us,” Ellis said. “So yeah, I just think those little interactions have changed my life in such a huge way, and it’s important for me to help change other people’s lives in the same way.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
