Scuba Bootcamp, Bonaire, and Reframing
When I spoke with my new artist friend at the café and he talked about getting back to cartooning after 20 years. I was so struck by his hitting the reset button and having the courage just do it.
It made me think of a time I went on a scuba diving trip to the lovely island of Bonaire. Bonaire is one of the ABC islands in the Lesser Antilles near Venezuela. The other 2 islands are Aruba and Curacao. It is a beautiful island. Not much of a beach island. The shoreline is rocky or covered in conch shells.
There was a group of us led by my friend Rich. He was a master scuba instructor. I had only been diving for maybe a year. This was a big trip for me. I love the beach and the ocean. We were staying at a little scuba dive resort. I use the term resort loosely. The resort consisted of a long boat dock, small rooms / cabins, a pool, and a dining area. It was nestled into a rocky coastline. It was intensely peaceful staying on the water’s edge. We were the only group there for the week.
After a day there, I quickly and affectionately called the week “scuba bootcamp”. We were diving 2 – 3 times a day. Once a day would have been plenty for me. Two to three times was a bit much for this novice diver.
As we descended off the boat regularly into the depths of the Caribbean, I gained a whole new perspective. My eyes were opened. I saw fish I had never seen before with colors so vibrant I nearly forgot to take a breath from my regulator. The coral was huge and all kinds of shapes and colors. At some point I’ll need to dig out my old photos (pre-digital / dinosaur age photos) to share. Proof that I did dive in this beautiful world, once.
My view of God’s creation forever changed that week. There is truly a completely different world under the depths of the ocean, and I maxed at 70’. Even at 70’ in depth I could see the surface, the ocean was so clear. God had me see my world completely afresh that during that trip. I saw elk horn coral, green moray eels, a nurse shark, green turtles, sea horses, star fish, trigger fish, the biggest Angel fish I have ever seen. It was glorious.
This story brings me back to our JUST DO IT JUNE and reframing our perspective. Just as my new artist friend hit reset and I saw God’s creation from a completely different viewpoint….
What might you want to view differently in the coming week or month or even year?
What might you need to step back from and evaluate?
What might be a good next step?
Would you like help reframing, reach out. I’d love to support you in the journey.
