Once upon a time in a magnificent ocean filled with brightly coloured corals, a great diversity of fish and other lovely ocean creatures there lived a wondrous whale. The whale was very large and also very loving.
The whale was very happy living in the deep blue ocean with all the many friends he had. Near the surface where the water of the ocean was very clear, the whale could see all of the other ocean creatures very well, but deep down where the water was dark and murky he couldn’t always be sure.
Fortunately, the whale had a handy tool he could use called echolocation. The whale would simply send out calls into the ocean and then he would listen carefully to the echoes of those calls that came back to him. This is how the whale was able to find food for himself and to know which other ocean creatures, corals and other objects were around him.
Many of the ocean creatures didn’t quite understand how the whale’s special gift worked and so the whale tried to explain it to them.
“When the sound I make reaches another fish or plant for instance, some of this sound is sent back to me. So by listening to these echoes from my surroundings I am able to sense where other ocean creatures and plant life are,” the whale explained.
One of the smaller fish found all of this very confusing and wanted to go up to the large whale and ask him about it. At first he was a bit worried about asking more questions since the whale had explained it all many times before. But then he decided to be brave and do it anyway.
“Aren’t you afraid to send out sounds?” the fish asked the whale. “Don’t you worry about what will come back to you?”
The whale chuckled at the little fish’s question.
“That’s a very wise question,” the whale began. “It takes true courage to speak up and put yourself out there.”
The small fish felt reassured that he had done well by telling the whale what he had been wondering about.
“Fortunately,” the whale continued, “you live in this marvellous ocean and when any feelings of fear or doubt or worry come to you, it is always best to immediately hand these over to the ocean to be washed away.”
The small fish nodded. This was something he had heard before and always tried to remember to do.
“Look at me,” the whale said. “I am very large and I choose for my sounds to be loud. Just as it is for you, it is also important for me to be brave and speak up.”
The small fish nodded. He thought that the whale must have known that he had been a little bit worried about asking more questions and he now felt comforted by the large loving whale.
“If the whale can be courageous and speak up then so can I,” the little fish thought.
“And then I listen for what comes back to me,” the whale continued. “Animals that use echolocation know the importance of good communication. It is not just about speaking up and putting yourself out there. It is equally important to truly listen to others.”
Again, this was something the small fish had heard many times before and always tried to remember to do.
“But aren’t you afraid to send out loud sounds?” the little fish asked. “I mean, aren’t you afraid of what will come back to you?”
The loving whale smiled widely at the little fish. “I choose for my sounds to be loud,” he said. “I’m not afraid someone might hear me. I need for my sounds to reach other objects so that I can find them.”
“But aren’t you afraid of what will come back to you?” the little fish asked again.
“As for being afraid of what comes back to me,” the whale said to the small fish, “I know that whatever I send out is what will come back to me.”
“I don’t understand,” the small fish said.
“Well,” the whale said, “as with everything, whatever you send out is what eventually comes back to you.”
The little fish was confused. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Well, of course,” the whale said. “So, it’s always best to send out that which you would like to receive.”
The little fish laughed. “Dear whale, you are so wise,” he then said.
The whale lovingly smiled at the little fish and asked, “So what is it that you would like to receive?”
The small fish pondered on this question for a while and then said, “I would like to receive everything good.”
The whale chuckled. “Me, too,” he then added. “And where does everything good ultimately come from?” the whale asked the small fish.
“It comes from a place of love,” the little fish answered.
“That’s right,” the whale said. “So, you send out love.”
“How do you do that?” the small fish asked, somewhat confused.
“You wrap all your words in love,” the whale explained.
“It’s that simple?” the small fish asked.
“Of course,” the whale replied.
The little fish was stunned. “And it really works?” he asked.
“Of course,” the whale said. “Who are the ocean creatures loved the most by everyone in and out of the water?” he asked the little fish.
“That’s easy,” the little fish immediately said. “The dolphins are.”
“And do you know why?” the whale asked.
“Because in their eyes you can see true love,” the small fish replied. “Being around them, even just thinking about them, makes your heart feel warm.”
“And why is that?” the whale asked again.
“Because they love everything and everyone very much and it shows,” the small fish explained.
“That’s exactly right,” the whale confirmed. “The way I see it is that if you love everybody then you’ve done your part. And in the end that is what will come back to you. In truth, how others feel about you has nothing to do with you. You only have to do your part.”
“I understand,” the small fish said, nodding in full agreement. “And from now on, I will love all of the creatures in and out of the ocean very much and eventually that love will come back to me and I will be very loved, too.”
The whale smiled widely at the little fish and then lovingly said to him, “You already are, my little friend, more than you know.”
Credit: This has been written by Judith Victoria Deer and has been published with permission.
Related: Stories For Your Inner Child by Judith Victoria Deer