Grateful for Sea Creatures

Day 23: Thirty Days of Gratitude for Our Earth

Sea creatures are some of natures greatest marvels. The shear variety of animals under the sea is quite remarkable. They come in a wide range of sizes, from plankton to whale, and a vast array of colors. And then there are some, like the sea turtle, who can spend their time under water and also make their way onto land to take an afternoon nap on the beach.

I was at the right place at the right time to watch this turtle as it traveled very slowly and with much determination up onto the sand. It would move onto shore a couple of inches and then close it's eyes and sleep for a bit. Then repeat that cycle over and over. I wasn't there long enough to see what happened when it decided to turn around and reverse the process.

Something about that turtle touched my heart. Maybe it was simply spending time just observing another creature in it's natural habitat that made me feel connected. Maybe it was watching the struggle and determination. I felt as if I got to know this turtle on a level that was not in an everyday way.

Aquariums give us the opportunity to view sea animals we would have little chance of seeing. But there's nothing like observing them where they live.

Snorkeling allows you to enter another world and commune, in some way, with the creatures surrounding you, in their home. It's quite an altering experience. Our world becomes bigger in the process and more diverse.

Whale watching is an exhilarating activity. Rather than entering their world, we seem to be stopping at the front door of the sea world and hoping the magnificent creatures are home. Every time we get a glimpse of whales and dolphins it's likely to trigger a burst of excitement. There's something about them that's not of our world... at least, not of our life on land. They are more elusive and extraordinary... and larger than life.

These animals of the sea are fascinating and somewhat mysterious. They live in what seems like another world. It just happens to exist side by side with the world we know.