While whales beach

1 day ago

While more than 400 pilot whales beached themselves in a remote part of the South Island of Aotearoa - named, ironically, Farewell Spit - and as many human volunteers rushed from all over to try and save them, only for another pod of more than 200 to beach nearby two days later, with more than 300 whales lost in total so far, I have been busy beaching myself on the dry shores of my own self pity about problems that seem bigger than whales to me, but to others are no doubt not even the size of a slug washed up, after a long life well lived, on the back porch in the shade. Just as well those whales weren't counting on me.

Some problems are whale sized, others are slug sized or smaller, and it doesn't hurt to put your slug-size problems into perspective now and then. And when whales beach themselves in your neighbourhood, that's not a bad time to set aside your personal slugs and do what you can to help, even if it's only writing a blog about it instead of the woe-is-me blog you had in mind to write instead (I'll save that for later; I'm sure the woe will keep).

So for now I want to wish all power to those women and men who are still fighting to save the whales up north and thank you for the long hours of time given to making our world a kinder, bigger-hearted place.

PS: No slugs were harmed in the making of this blog or suggestion made that slugs are in any way less valuable than whales, just that they are rather smaller - and slimier.