I went for a swim in the ocean today and have never seen so many fish. The beaches are closed so there was nobody there. Usually, when I get closer to a busy beach, I smell the sunblock in water. Now there’s nothing but the smell of the ocean and seaweed. You can only be on the beach if you are exercising. The water was choppy and frothy around me, and I realized it was fish. They were swimming right up to the beach and feeding. When I swam back, I was surrounded the whole way again by flashes of silver shoals and small jellyfish. It was a little eerie.
As we hibernate during this lockdown, the earth is exhaling. Nature abhors a vacuum. I wonder if we can learn to share more when the tide turns again and we rush back into all the nooks and crannies that have been filled by the animals and ocean.
Will hibernation change us? Will we take less and appreciate the free and priceless things in life?
Photo by Aditya Chinchure on Unsplash
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In a weird way this is extremely therapeutic for the human soul. People are walking, running, smiling, and waving to neighbors. Fossil fuel consumption has hit rock bottom. Pace of life has gone unchecked. The negative ramifications of the global pace of life has gone unchecked. I’m confident many will return to the past, but I’m also confident many will not – including myself. We all need a breathe to reflect. This is good medicine. The silver lining is around me everyday. Humans need a break, the planet needs a break – hopefully we can reap the benefits of this break. No question my family is fortunate and others are not – but I needed this time to reflect, change and do one’s small part to see the fish returning in the ocean …… your friend Robling