Jan 29, 2010

Only In The Islands......


We started out the day with our usual walk on the beach and to our surprise we saw a pick-up truck just sitting in the water.  Seems like the guys did not take into consideration the high tide.  What started out as a fun afternoon did not end so good.  These guys were on their way out to have some fun with their jet-skis.  They drove the pick-up down the boat ramp and just left it there.  What a surprise they had a few hours later when they got back.....stuck...with no where to go.   No problem we are in the islands, living the island lifestyle so we take it easy.  Rather than stress and hassle to get the pick up out they went home had a good nights sleep and came back for their truck in the morning.   OOPS!!!  They forgot and left the keys locked in the truck.  Now they had to break into their own truck......took them a while but they did get in, got the truck out and drove away as if nothing had happened.....laid back, relaxed, no stress about anything.
 Lucky for them I did not call the police to report
 a possible car theft.  Arvid stopped me right before I dialed the number.....he recognized the guys from yesterday.
This type of mishap seems to be a normal occurence for the islanders.  Another time we were on our way to the airport and we saw a car sunk to the bottom of the sea....same thing no one stressed.  Left the car there until the next day and had it pulled out.  Fortunately, no one was injured.
Not everything here is so dramatic there are also moments that take your breath away and make you realize what a beautiful world we live in which there is kindness in every corner.  For example not so long ago some friends were out fishing not realizing that pretty soon they would encounter the adventure of a lifetime.   Heading back home they spotted what they thought was may have been a whale blowing, about 1/2 mile offshore.
Cautiously venturing a bit closer, they discovered that not only was it a large Humpback whale, but unfortunately the exhausted mammal was all tangled up in a fishing net. 
Without any diving equipment, they had ruled out water entry as an option and contemplated their move.
They did successfully manage to cut most of the ropes but with only two remaining, the animal, with improved mobility, started to make its path to freedom more difficult. The group tried repeatedly for over an hour and a half to remove the final tethers, but, with no success, decided they would need more assistance. They called upon a friend and  they came to the decision that someone would have to jump into the water to cut the two ropes.
With dive equipment in his boat, the friend jumped in and according to the account provided to The Eleutheran, he jumped "onto the back of the whale and cut the last two ropes as the whale dove down". He and the net returned to the surface and the freed whale was away.

This was most certainly a once in a lifetime occurrence and the group said they all felt great for saving the Humpback whale.

Being kind does not really take any effort all it take is a moment and in that one tiny moment you are given the opportunity or the chance to make a difference in someones life be it a person or an animal.  In this case these friends made a difference in the life of this whale.  They took the time to save him.  Today take time to make a difference in someones life.....
When it comes to kindness I have Arvid here who personifies the word kind.  I say this because I have never seen anything like what he shares with Brutus and this from a man who never had nor ever wanted a cat.  Arvid takes time to play, talk and to pet Brutus all hours of the day.  All Brutus has to do is to come curling around his legs and Arvid is like putty....at nights he tucks the kitty in bed, he sings to him...yes he does and it is a routine both enjoy everyday.....I love watching it....Being here in Eleuthera is very good for us.  We have time to do little things that normally with our life back in Florida we hardly have time for....loving every moment!!

“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
until next time....