the jellyfish story
This is an extract of the email from my friend, she has been working/living in Korea and she was on vacation in Thailand.
We are each on our own "snorkeling" adventures...may we be able to recognize and appreciate the wonder and awe of our lives and embrace the uncertain and cyclical natures of lifes ups and downs.
- - - - - -
THE JELLYFISH
What I saw that will stick with me the most was this jellyfish. When I first spotted him on the surface, I thought that he was an orange peel.
I had just spotted something bright yellow floating on the surface, and I thought that it was one of the yellow fish I had seen near the bottom, up for a feeding or floating dead on the surface. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a banana!
So I held low hopes for this "orange peel."
But it wasn't an orange peel! It was a baby (or at least mini) jellyfish. It was about the size of those black plastic canisters with the grey lids that 35mm film comes in. It was tiny!
It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! I could watch it breathe! It was all of these fantastic shades of orange. It had white spots on its head and a white X in the middle of its head. It was rhythmically breathing in and out. I was HYPNOTIZED. I was MESMORIZED. I was ENTRANCED!!!
I had to keep reminding myself to look up so that I wouldn't be hit by a boat! I had to keep reminding myself to look around for the nearly translucent fish I had seen with the large teeth that were looming around. I had to stop myself from feeling as if I was being stung all over my body.
This thing was AMAZING!
I was so happy that I was snorkeling or I wouldn't have seen it, and I wouldn't have been able to stay there so long to watch it.
In fact, I even tried to get someone else to come over and look at the thing...just to verify that I wasn't imagining it...but even though I was close to the boat and it was almost time to go back so the scuba divers were starting to surface nearby...they were also impeded by all of their equipment as they floated on the surface. Additionally, they were in huge packs. I was afraid that if I called them over, MY jellyfish would BOLT and these scuba divers would think I was NUTS for calling them over.
Better to just observe it FULLY myself so that I would know for SURE that I hadn't imagined witnessing its beauty.
I watched it intently. Looking for the answers to life. Looking for meditation. Looking for peace. I noticed that there was a feeder fish cleaning the jellyfish. The fish could not have been larger than my thumbnail. I mean TINY TINY TINY.
This was life. This was purpose!
Here in this VAST ocean were these two small creatures. Alive. Living in harmony. A symbiotic relationship. Unaffected by everything around them.
I was watching for about 10-15 minutes. I couldn't believe my good fortune.
I was starting to let go. I was starting to follow the rhythm of the jellyfish. So ancient. So primal. Alive!
It was so simple. Just breathe. Just BE, and life will provide you what you need...even companionship and symbiotic relationships!
I was breathing deeply and clearly. Water wasn't getting trapped in my snorkel as it is apt to do from time to time.
Everything was clear and peaceful and right!
This was my magic moment.
I wanted it to last FOREVER, but I knew that I would have to go back to the boat soon, so I kept looking for the signal.
Part of me wanted to go back to the boat since I had already experienced this PERFECT moment in time...I mean MORE than a moment...it was a sustained period of time when time seemed to stand still...and it was PERFECT. I already knew it was something I would NEVER forget! I couldn't wait to tell everyone about it...on the boat...via e-mail. This was FANTASTIC.
So, I didn't go back. I waited for the signal.
I probably shouldn't have waited it turns out...though perhaps it IS best that I saw what I saw...I mean it IS life after all...
Well...anyway...no use stalling anymore...what I saw...what I saw was a big group of fish come in and start to peck at MY jellyfish! I couldn't believe it. It happened so fast. There I was FLAILING my arms around frantically. They went away, and MY jellyfish started to sink.
About a third of him eventually started UNrhythmically moving in and out...but the rest was still. The feeder fish gave up on my jellyfish and it swam away. The little thumbnail size thing figured it was better off fending for itself in the vast ocean than sticking around.
The signal came from the boat.
I had to go back.
The last I saw, MY jellyfish was struggling not to fall further and further to the bottom. It was holding steady. It was neither sinking nor surfacing. It was just struggling to breathe with the third of its body that was functioning.
I know this is nature.
I also know that perhaps the jellyfish was weak to begin with...I mean don't jellyfish normally travel in packs? And here was this one by itself. Maybe something was wrong with it to begin with.
The other fish need to eat too, right??? But I swear, they weren't trying to eat the jellyfish, they were just trying to KILL IT! ...To attack this beautiful, peaceful creature.
The jellyfish. So beautiful. Yet a KILLER itself...right? And how many people have been stung and bothered by them? A menace or an inspiration? A hunter or the hunted?
The fish that tried to kill it. They may end up as someone's dinner!
I was at peace and also in turmoil.
That is how my trip to Thailand was.
That is how I feel my life is right now.
It is SOOOOOOO beautiful. It is SOOOOOOOO wonderful. I am healthy. I am happy. I have everything I need and nearly all of the things I want. My past is colored but good. My present may be somewhat uncertain, but there is no doubt that it is fabulous. My future looks bright. The world IS my ocean (or my oyster if you'd prefer).
I have everything I need not only to survive, but also to THRIVE.
I can stop and smell the roses (or watch the jellyfish) if I want.
Still...I can NOT forget that the real world is out there. It is ready to strike at my bubble and try to burst it at any opportunity.
It might come in the form of cavities (got my first ones ever recently), or it might come in the form of changes at work...but there will always be outside forces that will "bite" at me.
Outside forces "bite" at us all, and eventually we will be "eaten" and our energy will continue to live on, but in a totally new and mostly unrelated form. ...Connected, but diffused.
So I AM the jellyfish. The jellyfish is me. I am also the feeder fish and the attacking fish and the boat and the scuba divers. I am everything and nothing. But mostly I am the jellyfish.
I can take a licking and keep on ticking! I am beautiful, and I WILL withstand the attacks from the outside world. I believe that the jellyfish will survive (at least for now). In fact, I think that the jellyfish will THRIVE!!!
As time beats on, and the waves move in and out, so will my current state of malaise. Things will move from murky to clear and I will know soon which way to turn and what my next step will be.
I am so lucky to be the beautiful jellyfish and not the hideous sea cucumber or the crusty crab!
Guess none of this will make sense to anyone but me...but what else is new?!?!?!
A happy and healthy 2008 (and beyond) to all of you! May your parts of the ocean be clear, calm, and free of predators that you can not handle! May your experiences and encounters enrich your lives. May you nurture the symbiotic relationships that you already have, and may you create and discover many more symbiotic relationships that will help you to grow and bring about positive change and energy in this world.
We are each on our own "snorkeling" adventures...may we be able to recognize and appreciate the wonder and awe of our lives and embrace the uncertain and cyclical natures of lifes ups and downs.
- - - - - -
THE JELLYFISH
What I saw that will stick with me the most was this jellyfish. When I first spotted him on the surface, I thought that he was an orange peel.
I had just spotted something bright yellow floating on the surface, and I thought that it was one of the yellow fish I had seen near the bottom, up for a feeding or floating dead on the surface. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a banana!
So I held low hopes for this "orange peel."
But it wasn't an orange peel! It was a baby (or at least mini) jellyfish. It was about the size of those black plastic canisters with the grey lids that 35mm film comes in. It was tiny!
It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! I could watch it breathe! It was all of these fantastic shades of orange. It had white spots on its head and a white X in the middle of its head. It was rhythmically breathing in and out. I was HYPNOTIZED. I was MESMORIZED. I was ENTRANCED!!!
I had to keep reminding myself to look up so that I wouldn't be hit by a boat! I had to keep reminding myself to look around for the nearly translucent fish I had seen with the large teeth that were looming around. I had to stop myself from feeling as if I was being stung all over my body.
This thing was AMAZING!
I was so happy that I was snorkeling or I wouldn't have seen it, and I wouldn't have been able to stay there so long to watch it.
In fact, I even tried to get someone else to come over and look at the thing...just to verify that I wasn't imagining it...but even though I was close to the boat and it was almost time to go back so the scuba divers were starting to surface nearby...they were also impeded by all of their equipment as they floated on the surface. Additionally, they were in huge packs. I was afraid that if I called them over, MY jellyfish would BOLT and these scuba divers would think I was NUTS for calling them over.
Better to just observe it FULLY myself so that I would know for SURE that I hadn't imagined witnessing its beauty.
I watched it intently. Looking for the answers to life. Looking for meditation. Looking for peace. I noticed that there was a feeder fish cleaning the jellyfish. The fish could not have been larger than my thumbnail. I mean TINY TINY TINY.
This was life. This was purpose!
Here in this VAST ocean were these two small creatures. Alive. Living in harmony. A symbiotic relationship. Unaffected by everything around them.
I was watching for about 10-15 minutes. I couldn't believe my good fortune.
I was starting to let go. I was starting to follow the rhythm of the jellyfish. So ancient. So primal. Alive!
It was so simple. Just breathe. Just BE, and life will provide you what you need...even companionship and symbiotic relationships!
I was breathing deeply and clearly. Water wasn't getting trapped in my snorkel as it is apt to do from time to time.
Everything was clear and peaceful and right!
This was my magic moment.
I wanted it to last FOREVER, but I knew that I would have to go back to the boat soon, so I kept looking for the signal.
Part of me wanted to go back to the boat since I had already experienced this PERFECT moment in time...I mean MORE than a moment...it was a sustained period of time when time seemed to stand still...and it was PERFECT. I already knew it was something I would NEVER forget! I couldn't wait to tell everyone about it...on the boat...via e-mail. This was FANTASTIC.
So, I didn't go back. I waited for the signal.
I probably shouldn't have waited it turns out...though perhaps it IS best that I saw what I saw...I mean it IS life after all...
Well...anyway...no use stalling anymore...what I saw...what I saw was a big group of fish come in and start to peck at MY jellyfish! I couldn't believe it. It happened so fast. There I was FLAILING my arms around frantically. They went away, and MY jellyfish started to sink.
About a third of him eventually started UNrhythmically moving in and out...but the rest was still. The feeder fish gave up on my jellyfish and it swam away. The little thumbnail size thing figured it was better off fending for itself in the vast ocean than sticking around.
The signal came from the boat.
I had to go back.
The last I saw, MY jellyfish was struggling not to fall further and further to the bottom. It was holding steady. It was neither sinking nor surfacing. It was just struggling to breathe with the third of its body that was functioning.
I know this is nature.
I also know that perhaps the jellyfish was weak to begin with...I mean don't jellyfish normally travel in packs? And here was this one by itself. Maybe something was wrong with it to begin with.
The other fish need to eat too, right??? But I swear, they weren't trying to eat the jellyfish, they were just trying to KILL IT! ...To attack this beautiful, peaceful creature.
The jellyfish. So beautiful. Yet a KILLER itself...right? And how many people have been stung and bothered by them? A menace or an inspiration? A hunter or the hunted?
The fish that tried to kill it. They may end up as someone's dinner!
I was at peace and also in turmoil.
That is how my trip to Thailand was.
That is how I feel my life is right now.
It is SOOOOOOO beautiful. It is SOOOOOOOO wonderful. I am healthy. I am happy. I have everything I need and nearly all of the things I want. My past is colored but good. My present may be somewhat uncertain, but there is no doubt that it is fabulous. My future looks bright. The world IS my ocean (or my oyster if you'd prefer).
I have everything I need not only to survive, but also to THRIVE.
I can stop and smell the roses (or watch the jellyfish) if I want.
Still...I can NOT forget that the real world is out there. It is ready to strike at my bubble and try to burst it at any opportunity.
It might come in the form of cavities (got my first ones ever recently), or it might come in the form of changes at work...but there will always be outside forces that will "bite" at me.
Outside forces "bite" at us all, and eventually we will be "eaten" and our energy will continue to live on, but in a totally new and mostly unrelated form. ...Connected, but diffused.
So I AM the jellyfish. The jellyfish is me. I am also the feeder fish and the attacking fish and the boat and the scuba divers. I am everything and nothing. But mostly I am the jellyfish.
I can take a licking and keep on ticking! I am beautiful, and I WILL withstand the attacks from the outside world. I believe that the jellyfish will survive (at least for now). In fact, I think that the jellyfish will THRIVE!!!
As time beats on, and the waves move in and out, so will my current state of malaise. Things will move from murky to clear and I will know soon which way to turn and what my next step will be.
I am so lucky to be the beautiful jellyfish and not the hideous sea cucumber or the crusty crab!
Guess none of this will make sense to anyone but me...but what else is new?!?!?!
A happy and healthy 2008 (and beyond) to all of you! May your parts of the ocean be clear, calm, and free of predators that you can not handle! May your experiences and encounters enrich your lives. May you nurture the symbiotic relationships that you already have, and may you create and discover many more symbiotic relationships that will help you to grow and bring about positive change and energy in this world.