Member-only story
Vastly Open Space Challenged My Concept Of Taking Up Space
Shifting perspectives to understand my worth
I lost sight of the shoreline as our boat cruised away from the Ningaloo Reef towards the Indian Ocean. When I signed up solo for a Whale Shark Tour in Australia, I had no preconceived idea of what to expect.
A crew member shouted, “Remember, form two lines!”
In clumsy unison, us tourists jumped into the water and began sloshing around as we swam into position to create a human lane for a whale shark to glide through.
I was perplexed that somehow this gentle yet wild animal would know his duty was to perform like Soul Train down our man-made avenue in the ocean. Once I was bobbing in my spot in line for this beast’s debut, I momentarily looked down, thinking I could find him before the tour guides did.
Yet past my flippers, I could see nothing. Dark blue water faded to black the further my eyes strained downward.
There was nothing my eyes could reach but void. I saw no ocean floor. I saw no end to this space where I was suspended.
When I realized I was just a very small human hovering in a vast body of water, I froze in the fetal position. Balled up, I rode the waves’ unpredictable movement like a fishing bob, petrified.
