Just a little something to brighten your day...

Will · 11-07-07 21:56:22

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a … ge_id=1770

And as if that wasn't enough, I'll leave you with this piece of invaluable information. Baby puffins are called pufflings. Pufflings! Now how can the world really be such a bad place now that you know there are pufflings in it.....

aven frey · 12-07-07 02:26:36

he he I just love that there are Pufflings. You are right the world is so much better for it!

kirejos · 12-07-07 03:10:34

There is so much about the world that we humans have only begun to understand. We know more about outer-space than we do about our own oceans.

I have a friend who moved to Tampa, Florida and lives near a place that offers "Dolphin therapy". They specialize in providing therapy to adults with special needs. The dolphins seem to sense thier disabilities, and express empathy, and extreme care when they're swimming with them. They develop lasting relationships with them over time, and the dolphins seem to remember individuals and thier specific disabilities even years later.....so cool.

Khanada Faye · 12-07-07 23:52:09

Thank you so much for sharing that! I've been away for a few weeks (sans internet, so I've fallen out a bit of the forum, with things pretty busy on this end) and when we were down the ocean, we saw a lot of dolphins swimming out on the horizon. They're so beautiful!

And puffings... that's the cutest thing. This really did put a smile on my face and just added another bit of sparkle to an already, I must say, pretty great day (today, I passed my driver's license road test--at the age of 28, I am finally a licensed driver!).

aven frey · 13-07-07 01:32:29

Congrats Khanada Faye!! xoxo

blissed · 13-07-07 01:37:51

Hey well done!! read about it in your blog, left a couple of comments but I haven't really got any advice for you because I don't drive ( a car in my hands is more like an unguided missile ) but your right, it does give you a a lot more independence. Anyway, so, looks like your all grown up then :)

.

blissed · 13-07-07 01:41:12

kirejos wrote:

There is so much about the world that we humans have only begun to understand. We know more about outer-space than we do about our own oceans.
I have a friend who moved to Tampa, Florida and lives near a place that offers "Dolphin therapy". They specialize in providing therapy to adults with special needs. The dolphins seem to sense thier disabilities, and express empathy, and extreme care when they're swimming with them. They develop lasting relationships with them over time, and the dolphins seem to remember individuals and thier specific disabilities even years later.....so cool.

I've never been up close to another species that has a mind similar to ours, I think that would be fascinating.

.

phexy · 13-07-07 02:24:52

Oh I feel so warm anf fuzzy after reading that, thanks Will! I even had a little chuckle when I read the term "jolly frolic" in the article. I couldn't have put it better myself.

And yay for Pufflings! *melts*

Khanada Faye · 13-07-07 03:03:31

bobby wrote:

Congrats Khanada Faye!! xoxo

Thank you, Bobby! It's been consuming lately, preparing for the test. I'm moving to Ithaca (three and a half hours from where I live now) at the start of August, so I really needed to pass on the first try.

Puffings!

Khanada Faye · 13-07-07 03:06:31

blissed wrote:

Hey well done!! read about it in your blog, left a couple of comments but I haven't really got any advice for you because I don't drive ( a car in my hands is more like an unguided missile ) but your right, it does give you a a lot more independence. Anyway, so, looks like your all grown up then
.

Thanks, Blissed! I got your comments, nice of you to visit me there .

I was always afraid that a car would be dangerous in my hands, too--I always thought it would just do random things without me, like riding a bull or something. But I've become a lot more confident in the fact that the car won't do anything unless I tell it to.

I guess I am grown up now, though I'm still waiting to feel like it! My life is so unmoored, it's difficult to feel like a grown up sometimes.

The_Elfman · 13-07-07 10:44:07

Hello Faye. It's good to see you around again.

momentextase · 16-07-07 03:55:44

kirejos wrote:

There is so much about the world that we humans have only begun to understand. We know more about outer-space than we do about our own oceans.
I have a friend who moved to Tampa, Florida and lives near a place that offers "Dolphin therapy". They specialize in providing therapy to adults with special needs. The dolphins seem to sense thier disabilities, and express empathy, and extreme care when they're swimming with them. They develop lasting relationships with them over time, and the dolphins seem to remember individuals and thier specific disabilities even years later.....so cool.

I agree so much, I feel what you say here is the "tip of the iceberg."

My g/f (she was a therapist) talked me into going to a seminar with her about Symbol, Ceremony and Ritual.

This seminar was being conducted by another therapist, one of the things she told us was about an experience she had with dolphins. Anne had gone to Florida to help at one of those dolphin therapy places, and something happened that blew her mind:

The "Make a Wish" people had a little girl, about 8, who had terminal cancer and that wanted a chance to be with the dolphins, she was crazy about them. The girl was in very poor condition, she did not have long, this effort was about the last thing her parents felt they could do for her, it was all just tragic.

The girls parents, Anne and the guy that ran the dolphin program floated the girl out into the water, this was in a little shallow cove open to the ocean. Soon dolphins came and began to circle, then they came up and gently nuzzled the girl, and then all gathered around, about 8 of them, and then they got under her and supported the girl with their heads and noses. ( Later, the guide said that is what dolphins do with their own sick or injured.) Everyone was able to back away and just let the dolphins "hold" the girl. And she was in obvious fearless bliss.

The dolphins were making little chirps, then very strong and palpable "clicks". The parents, Anne and the guide were standing in a circle around the dolphins, the dolphins were circled holding the girl, the girl was in the center, just her and the dolphins. This went on for about 5 minutes.

Then the clicks and noises the dolphins were making stopped and one of the dolphins raced away, diving out of sight. The other dolphins just stayed where they were, the little girl was talking to the dolphins, petting them and stroking them as they just held her up on top of the water. This went on for about 15 to 20 minutes until...

Suddenly the dolphin that had disappeared returned as dramatically as it had first vanished. The dolphin had something, it looked like a little bit of debris, maybe a bit of kelp??... anyway the dolphin put this in the little girls palm. The little girl closed her hand around this object and would not let go of it.

A couple of dolphins then broke out of the circle, pushing and nuzzling the parents, Anne and the guide back towards the girl, sort of like the dolphins were "herding" them back. The guide took this as a sign that the people should hold the girl, so they did. The dolphins swimmed around, nuzzling everyone for a minute. Then the dolphins left, leaving with a little chirp as they leaped up out of the water and then dived away at high speed with a big splash.

The little girl was ecstatic, "They were holding me momma, they were holding me," she keep excitedly repeating. She drifted off to sleep, still whispering "They were holding me.."

About an hour later, the girl died. It was only then that the girl released her grasp on the gift the dolphin had giver her.

It was a little sprig of black coral.

The guide said that although he had seen dolphins do many amazing things, he had never seen this gesture, he had no idea what it meant. He went on to explain that black coral was very prized by humans, that in those waters it was only found at great depth, perhaps it was prized by dolphins also, or symbolic of something we can only imagine.

Anne said the mood that evening was indescribable. Grief -yes, but something else too. The staff, the parents -everyone -was gathered outside, it was one of those "What just happened?" moments, as if what had happened earlier was a lucid dream.

People had many theories. Perhaps the dolphins were simply saying goodbye to the little girl? Perhaps they had "adopted" in the little girl in some incomprehensible way? Perhaps the little girl was already part of the dolphins "tribe" and that is why seeing them was so important to her? And why she "grasped", so tightly, the fact and the meaning of their gift?

The mood in that seminar was also indescribable. As I said, this story is second hand to me, I have little experience with dolphins except to watch them play in the bow wave of a ship. All I can say is this story, this seminar, was one of the most powerful I have ever experienced. We discussed this story, we were all quite blown away, we each had ideas about what might have happened, but Anne said something I won't forget:

"Our minds really may not "get it", but we all know our hearts do."

Anyway kirejos, and Will also, thank you for reminding me of this. Perhaps this is not quite the right place for this sort of tragic reminiscence, if so I apologise. But I just felt I had to pass this along, if only because it offers such hope and proof of such unimaginable and gentle trancendence.

momentextase · 16-07-07 04:10:58

Khanada Faye wrote:

I guess I am grown up now, though I'm still waiting to feel like it! My life is so unmoored, it's difficult to feel like a grown up sometimes.

Feels good to know I am not the only one that feels that way too! And I'm a friggin Senior Citizen for gaweds sakes. Congrats on new auto-mobility!

Last edited by momentextase (16-07-07 04:12:19)

#1 11-07-07 21:56:22

Just a little something to brighten your day...

#2 12-07-07 02:26:36

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#3 12-07-07 03:10:34

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#4 12-07-07 23:52:09

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#5 13-07-07 01:32:29

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#6 13-07-07 01:37:51

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#7 13-07-07 01:41:12

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#8 13-07-07 02:24:52

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#9 13-07-07 03:03:31

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#10 13-07-07 03:06:31

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#11 13-07-07 10:44:07

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#12 16-07-07 03:55:44

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#13 16-07-07 04:10:58

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