12 July, 2006
Shark sighting in Alameda
Shark sighting in Alameda
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.
I met up with some friends of mine over at Crab Cove a couple of weeks ago and they mentioned that there was a shark washed ashore. Having never seen a shark all up-close-and-personal-like, I was curious, so we went over for a look (it's not that often we get to just walk right up to a shark, after all).
It turns out it was this little leopard shark. I was so struck by its beauty that I couldn't stop looking at it. I was so touched by its fragility that I suddenly felt like I wanted to stay with it and protect it, somehow. I wanted to protetct it from the little girls who had been poking at it (then shrieking in terror when the waves moved it). I wanted to protect it from the seagulls and other water fowl who were sure to come and tear it to bits for their next meal. I wanted to pick it up and toss it as far back into San Francisco Bay as I could where it might be safe. Or at least where I wouldn't have to see it being poked or torn apart.
And then I realized that what I sought to protect it from was life. Little children curiously poking at a life-like (though lifeless) shark was part of life and learning about their world. Birds using the shark for a nourishing meal was part of life. And I saw the futility of trying to shield it from that harshness; it's life had already ended.
Sometimes, in my heart, I want to protect what I find beautiful and delicate from the cruelty of the world and maybe it's a selfish thing, trying to keep that beauty for myself. But I must be careful when I seek to protect what I find precious, lest I over-protect, and suffocate the very thing I'm trying to save. Sometimes, the most appropriate action is no action but to let nature run its course.
~~ victoria on 9:38 PM ~~ 0 comments
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