Back at the cottage after a wonderful weekend with My Love, I thought it time to share the richness of my life with all of you. On Friday, after helping my Love's mom by painting a bit of her kitchen, we went to hear the Sidney Classical Orchestra in concert. Stephen Brown conducted Beethoven's 5th piano concerto, the 2nd and 4th movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony and the Egmont Overture. Only two weeks ago I heard Laia, my grand nice, perform Beethoven's 5th Symphony with the Victoria Youth Orchestra. How blessed we are to be able to enjoy all this wonderful live Beethoven music.

Both on Thursday when I sailed over and today when I sailed back there was a break in the weather allowing my sloop and I to sail most of the way in complete comfort. Always on the lookout for aquatic friends, only the odd seal mused at my passing. The porpoises were busy spreading their light elsewhere today. Not so, three weeks ago. That day I was also crossing the water in stillness under sail when suddenly four or five porpoises arrived to play with me. They did their usual thing, swimming around the boat, crisscrossing under the bow. As is always the case, I heard them before I saw them, their exhaling puff as they surface for air, announcing their presence.

Whenever I am graced by the attention of these creatures I find myself dancing around on the upper deck of the boat, craning my neck 360 degrees so I don't miss a moment's adventure. I always call out to them how much I love them and usually find myself pondering their wisdom, grace and incredible intelligence. Studies of brain-to-body mass ratios imply that, apart from humans, dolphins are the smartest animals now on Earth. Dolphins (and porpoises) have the second highest brain-to-body-mass ratio of any creature. Ours is ~0.022 and theirs is ~0.016.

These statistics were flashing through my head as I was watching their interest in my sloop fade. What, I wondered, as one intelligent creature to another, can I tell these beautiful, loving and peaceful creatures about our species. Just as the last straggler had left my side to return to her pod I decided that Oma's music CD, which was playing softly on the stereo, might hold the key. Music I thought, is the best my species has to offer and since porpoises have an extraordinary hearing range (2000 - 80,000 Hz) well beyond the range of humans (50 - 500 Hz) and sound travels well through water, I decided to crank up Andre Rieu and his Johan Strauss Orchestra so that the sound could vibrate the hull and be transmitted directly into the water.

Almost immediately porpoises came streaming in from all directions. Dorsal fins cutting the water's surface, ejecting rooster tails, as they closed on me at speeds up to 35 mph. Everywhere I turned porpoises were surfacing and churning. Three abreast they would leap out of the water in a display of grace. They were engaged in a dance of joy, and soon I was surrounded by a mass of swirling, splashing whitewater. Tears were streaming down my face as I felt a kinship with these marvelous creatures. Did they recognize the beauty and harmony of the music? Is that what attracted them so? Or did they just come back to acknowledge my gesture of kindness towards them. Whatever the reason, they stayed with me for over thirty minutes.

Today, as I listened to a beautiful and provocative radio broadcast on Tapestry I found myself remembering the porpoises for another reason. Mary Hynes was interviewing Bo Lozoff about his work in prisons and his book, "We are all doing time: A guide to getting free." Bo, who can be reached through the "Human Kindness Foundation" reminded us to take a moment and be still. He challenged us to reflect on the last seven days of our lives and see how they exhibit what we truly stand for. "If we think consciously of why we are here on this Earth and what our fundamental values are", he challenges us, "could someone watching us from afar recognize our purpose and our values by our daily activities?"

By this measure, the porpoises do pretty well. With all their intelligence, they seem to live a simple live; a life of kindness and gentleness. May your life be less complex and filled with more kindness and gentleness. May your love manifest itself in your every day and touch those around you. May you be blessed with beautiful music. May you find the courage to share a smile with the next stranger you meet.

In Love and Light
Thomas.

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