Count Your Blessings #34 – Aquatic Abundance

By the time I got up out of bed on Saturday morning there were only two people left in our house; Emily and myself. Jonathan was off for a full day practising and playing hockey. Sue was away leading a ladies weekend at Littledale Hall.

Forgive me but I must just take a quick diversion here before I get into the main topic of my post. Sue – well done. From the feedback I’ve had it sounds like you were brilliant, which I am in no doubt that you were. I apologise for cheering the absence of the ladies in church on Sunday morning – you know I didn’t mean it .

Anyway back to Aquatic Abundance. As it was only Emily and myself, we decided that we would go out and have some fun. Emily, like me, loves all things aquatic. We would prefer to see it all in its natural habitat, but that’s not always possible. Well actually, it’s not possible most of the time. I’m sure the Irish Sea has an abundant aquatic ecosystem but on a cold wet November day it’s not the most appealing place to visit. Fortunately for us though the Blue Planet aquarium allows us to travel the aquatic world without getting cold or wet; apart, that is, from the short walk from the car park.

Speaking as a human-being who primarily lives in a two-dimensional space (on the land) all of these creatures that live in a truly three-dimensional space fascinate me. When I’m considering where to go I move forwards, backward or side-to-side. If I was a fish I could go upwards or downwards, I could even be really fancy and go slantwise.

If I want to move anywhere I need to do something about it, there are no free ride for us humans. As a Jelly Fish I could be so laid back that I don’t even need a method of propelling myself I just let the ocean currents take me wherever they fancy.

But it’s not just about motion; the colours fascinate me, the sizes amaze me and the shapes baffle me. Why are Amazonian fish so big? Why does the cichlid come in so many colours? Sea-horse – what more can I say?

Did you know that tuna can swim at 50 miles-per-hour? Did you know that an electric eel discharges 350 volts? Did you know that a shark has no bones, only cartilage? Did you know that the Ocean Sun Fish produces 30 million eggs? Did you know that a lobster was once recorded travelling 225 miles? Did you know that the Atlantic Giant Squid has eyes that are 50 cm across? Did you know that a sea horse is so slow it may struggle to reach 0.001 lies-per-hour?

All of this diversity is amazing and brilliant. It’s a blessing.

Many people I know have a very narrow view of God, when I look at the world around I see all of this diversity. I believe that God created all of this diversity, in the same way as we create diverse art. God isn’t narrow, God is more diverse than our world and anyone who thinks they have God sown up should prepare to be amazed and astounded.

(Sorry, no aquatic pictures Sue took the camera with her to Littledale)