A True Story from Virginia Beach

Yesterday at Virginia Beach, I watched a lone surfer playing in the waves.

Then I spotted shiny, black bodies surfacing and then disappearing. The dolphins are back! The surfer, too, must have spotted them, because he began paddling fast in their direction. They were about fifteen feet in front of him.

I continued to watch the race until I realized he would never catch up to them, even though he was a powerful and persistent paddler.

I wanted to scream, “Stop pursuing. Surrender. Invite the dolphins by your stillness.” But I knew he could not hear my voice over the crashing waves. However, maybe he intuited my guidance, because he abruptly stopped paddling and stood up on his board.

My eyes wandered to the dolphins and I wondered if they would respond. Imagine my excitement as I watched eight dolphins change course and swim in his direction. I sunk my feet deeper in the sand to remind myself that this was really happening. When the dolphins were within three feet of the surfer, he laid down on his surfboard.

I watched as the dolphins surrounded him, and swam round and round his surfboard for nearly five minutes. From shore I applauded and did my own version of a dolphin dance. Then I applauded again, unable to contain my glee.

When the surfer returned to shore, I greeted him. As he reached out to shake my hand, he said, “I had this feeling that you somehow were part of that once in a lifetime adventure.”

I nodded. Then I said, “I appreciated the whole thing, every moment of it.”

“It was awesome, huh? Who knew that if I remained still, they would circle around and visit me?”

I smiled, satisfied that now two of us knew. Just then my imaginative heart reached out to the dolphins that had disappeared. They knew. So now we are ten knowers.

Thank you for this day and this lesson.