Reflections

We wade into the water.  The water is only up to our calves but the sharp coral makes it hard to walk further. We crouch down, slip on our flippers, and lower the goggles onto our faces.  We sprawl out into the water and float just inches above the bottom.  Our hands guide us along and as we carefully pass between rocks. We continue this until we’re 20 meters off the shore.  The water is still shallow but we can move around with ease.  Instantly we are captivated by the colors.  Yellow and black striped fish move about the coral looking for food.  They stick in pairs.  As we swim closer to them they don’t seem to take notice- they continue about their task without batting an eye in our direction.  They are always the first fish we see as we move out from the shore.

As we continue the water turn into a deeper shade of blue.  Schools of fish pass by.  They seem to know exactly where it is they want to go, but do they? I swim out to meet them.  They keep a perfect distance from me like a magnet that repels another.  The closer I get the further off the path they go until they create a perfect circle around me.  I am at the center.  This reminds me of the last day I had with my kids, only with them there was no repelling.  The magnet was flipped and they all drew as close as they could to me.

I move about the water with no apparent direction.  I search for an interesting fish and let them take lead.  Out of the corner of my eye I see a bright shimmer.  I turn and find the most exquisite fish moving along the coral reef alone.  Its body glistens as the light pierces through the water.  It holds every color within its tiny body- blue, pink, purple, yellow, green.  Where do these colors come from? It begins to swim away and I swim along with it.  I watch as it interacts with other fish and searches the bottom for something to eat.

We come up to rearrange and wipe away the fog that has begun to form on the inside of the goggles. A group of snorkelers begins to form.  We move in that direction because that can only mean one thing- sea turtle. It effortlessly stays just a few inches above the bottom while the rest of us struggle not to be taken away by the current.  We kick our feet to stay with him and observe a little longer.  He uses his front fins to move away any pieces of dead coral or unappetizing food.  Once everything is satisfactorily brushed away, he wraps his mouth around a large piece of coral and pulls until its roots are free.  He chomps and pieces fly away from his mouth.  Smaller fish surround his face waiting for the flyaway pieces- its less work than looking for the food themselves.  He’s not bothered by the audience- us or the other fish- he just minds his own.  As he takes his last few bites he begins to move.  He rises from his spot on the bottom and swims up.  We move around him to give him space.  He continues up until he reaches the surface.  I lift my head out of the water just to see his face break through to the world above.  He takes a breath and goes back under.  He repeats this one more time before taking his position again on the bottom of the ocean.

Excerpt from my journal:

[The world below is such a wonder.]  It’s fun to be just an observer to their lives- almost like my time in Indonesia.  Sometimes I get in their way and change their course, I have some influence, but for the most part, an observer.  I will never be them, but I’ll understand them more and share with others what I’ve seen.

Since coming to Indonesia I have interacted with many people. I have gotten in the way of their lives and paths and, maybe, changed their course, if only by a little- just like the schools of fish that surrounded me as I got in their way.  Maybe I have changed their overall direction, maybe not.  Maybe they’ll continue on the same path they were going down before I stood in their way.  But maybe for others that course will be forever different.  Maybe they turned in a direction they had no intention of going down; I can only hope it will be a direction filled with great things.  But for the most part, I got an inside look into their lives and homes and cultures.  I got to see things not everyone gets to see.  I will never become just like them, but I will take the things I have seen and learned and share them with the world, so they too will understand more.