Walking with a Porpoise
I was visiting my friend, Bill Boothe, who was living in Tampa, FL at the time. While he was at work, I went for a stroll along a cement walkway on the edge of Tampa Bay. It was one of those warm-sun/cool-wind days, and I was feeling peaceful and alive at the same time.
Every once in awhile, someone passed by, but mostly I was a solitary soul, not pushing my stride, just enjoying the moment – the taste of salt, the sun/wind on my skin, the sound of traffic close by, and the water – always the water. Water fascinates me, and I have a deep respect for its power, as well.
I noticed a fin in the water that seemed to maintain my same pace. I thought I was imagining things, so I varied my speed, and the fin kept pace. Just from that behavior, I guessed it was a porpoise, not a shark. (I can't really tell one fin from another.)
So I started talking to it – nonsense in some respects – but I was oblivious to how I might seem to someone else. I figured it was communicating to me (by action), and I figured it would 'get' my intent – somehow. I was getting more and more excited and wanted to share this with others, and there weren't any others. No one. I also wanted corroboration – to prove to myself that I wasn't crazy, this was really happening.
Every so often there were little outcroppings that afforded the opportunity to get about 3 feet closer to the water. I even leaned over to get closer. I swear that porpoise looked right at me. Still no one. So I shared a reverent moment with another sentient being – a mammal cousin – with no language in common – but with the desire to connect in common. An other-worldly gift on a quiet morning.
PS I am not known as an animal nut. However, I have always had special feelings for some animals – none of which are domesticated – giraffes, elephants, and porpoises especially. I've had 3 eye-to-eye connections with porpoises. One I wrote about – swimming with wild dolphins in New Zealand, another time in Hawaii.
Many years ago, when I lived in Rhode Island, I had a “moment” with a polar bear cub, a prolonged eye to eye connection. I felt the sweetest energy from him, and such purity as I’d never known before. I still remember the feeling to this day. We are so fortunate to share this earth with all of these beings. Have they not, at times, been our salvation, physically, emotionally and even spiritually?
A gift from God! Could it have been the language of unconditional love that attracted you two together? Were you able to look into each other’s eyes in a beholding sense?
I often cradle my dogs heads while gazing into their eyes and just send and receive love. Boy can they hang onto you!
I once rescued a young bluejay who had fallen to the ground and couldn’t fly yet. A hungry cat was nearby but was held at bay by all the adult bluejays in the area swooping down on it. I managed to get the young bird safely into an old bird cage and then pondered my new responsibility. Food???????? Can’t buy bluejay formula.
Turned out the parents gathered and left ample creepy crawlers in the cage for me to feed to their/my charge.
As the young bird got stronger and the proper feathers appeared, I invited a friend to help me “teach” this young bird to fly. We called it catch the bluejay. One of us would gently toss the bird toward the other. On each gentle toss the bird flew further and further. After about 3 days or so, on the first toss, it flew up on the roof and then into a tree. Success.
One year later in late July, I’m sitting on the back porch (where I kept the cage) feeding shelled pecans to a squirel when a bluejay lit on the fence nest to me. It danced back and forth on the fence a bit then promptly came up to me so I could place a pecan in it’s beak. I just know that was “my” bluejay.