What a Wonderful World
Nicholas and I spent the day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach yesterday. He’s 15. I’m his mom. I’m old. Despite those patently obvious odds, we had a great time. Actually, we always have a good time together. He says I nag (and I might, on occasion, but only if the situation warrants it. Honest.) and I say he’s an obnoxious beast with a propensity to debate (and he is), but I’m one of those really, REALLY lucky moms who actually likes her teenage kid. And he’s really, REALLY lucky that I do.
So anyway, back to the Aquarium.
Oh wait. One more sidebar, then we’ll move on. Nicholas took his mid-term exam in geometry last week and scored the highest grade in the class: B. Now to those of you who hear the word “cosign” and immediately associate it with “hypotenuse”, I understand that this means little. But to the Nicholas’s of the world (and we outnumber you 2 to 3, by the way, so put that in your rhombus and smoke it), this was a huge triumph. He’s also been grounded for the last 5 weeks and although there’s no conclusive end in sight, there is a glimmer of what might resemble daylight at the end of his self-inflicted tunnel of doom.
I said I liked him. Didn’t say he was perfect, and hence the grounding so that I, and more importantly he, may continue to like him well into adulthood. Hence, our field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific takes on significance in that he was allowed to see the light of day.
That being said, we had a really great time yesterday. We checked out all the exhibits at the Aquarium, stopped by the Scuba Café for a couple of bacon-cheese lardburgers (a little spendy at $25.00 for both, but any hairballs that may have been lurking in the old intestines should resolve themselves within a day or two) and then went whale watching. Oh My Gosh. If you’ve never gone whale watching, do it. When the opportunity presents itself, scream “Carpe Diem!” and run for the boat like your hair’s on fire. It is an awesome, humbling experience.
We saw three grey whales headed north from Baja to Alaska. Two appeared to be traveling companions in no great hurry to reach their destination (who can blame them? That’s some muy agua fria up in there) and they put on quite the little show for the theater patrons they had no idea were there, gasping and applauding at their every move. They’d come up for air and “blow” (exhale), and we’d cheer like we’d just witnessed man’s first step on the moon. Then they’d do a modified “breach”, extending their bodies out of the water as they propelled themselves into the depths of the great liquid beyond, in search of who-knows-what (food, probably, but maybe they did it just because they could) and climax with their magnificently arched, perfectly poised tails slicing gracefully through the water.
This, my friends, was the real deal. I’ve seen Shamu in her big aquarium, and I’ve loved her magnificence every time. But this… wow. This was different. No mackerel reward waiting in the hands of a trainer. This was simply whales living life in the way whales do, completely oblivious to me or Nicholas, unaware that their every move brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that, in truth, I am but a tiny little starfish in the great tidepool of life.
I am reminded of a story that I’d like to share with you. If it has half the impact on you it had on me, there is hope for the world yet. I have no idea who wrote it so I can’t give credit where credit is due, but I hope you enjoy it:
“One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed upon the beach. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man walked for miles.
As he strolled along, he noticed a small figure dancing in the distance. It made him chuckle to think of someone celebrating life in such an uninhibited way. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that the figure was not dancing. Instead, she seemed to be repeatedly performing some ritual.
He drew nearer still and noticed that the small figure was a child. She was methodically picking up starfish and tossing them into the surf. He paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, “Why are you throwing these starfish?”
“It’s high tide,” she replied, “If I leave them on the beach, the sun will soon dry them and they will die. I am throwing them into the ocean so they can live.” The man considered her actions, impressed with the child’s thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles of the beach. ‘There must be thousands of starfish along here,’ he said. ‘You cannot possibly make a difference.’
The young girl stopped. Her face darkened. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, ‘You’re probably right,’ she said softly. She looked down at the sand. Then she leaned over, carefully picked up another starfish, pulled back and arched it gently into the sea.
With a tone of gentle defiance, she said, ‘But I made a difference to that one.’”
What a great day we had. I’ll be forever grateful that I was able to share this experience with Nicholas, a first for both of us but hopefully not the last for either of us.
And I think to myself, What A Wonderful World.
Sounds like You two had a great time. Wow, I never realized what a great writer You are. Love Ya
[Translate]