Dark edges of boards ripped from piers during a recent tropical storm rested vertically on the surface, the other end buried in the mud. As I paddled my SUP board yesterday afternoon and again this morning, I noticed how they look like dorsal triangles of shark or dolphin fins frozen in time.

After an hour of hard paddling this morning, I spotting a fin ahead but it disappeared. Hmmm. There weren’t waves washing over the fin-boards. Oh, I thought, It’s a dolphin! Sure enough, the fin headed straight toward my board. The big, gray animal circled me a couple of times and then continued with his feeding. What a nice encounter on this glorious autumn morning on Mobile Bay.

As I continued to paddle, I thought of all the things that were just under the surface of the muddy water that could only be seen by really looking, really paying attention. And I thought, Life is like that.

We might think of bad or difficult or even scary things that lie hidden, just beneath our conscious recognition, but I believe there are many gifts that are just beneath the surface and are waiting to be discovered–strengths we may not realize we have, talents wanting to be used to make a difference in the world.

As I paddled towards mom’s beach, two more fins came straight toward me. They circled me a few times before heading off to finish their breakfast hunt. I was left pondering the question: What lies just beneath the surface of my life that can be put into use to help the planet, to help others?

What about you. What talents, skills or ideas are waiting for you to discover and use for the common good?

I invite you to visit my web site, Turtle Island Adventures, to perhaps inspire or encourage your creative efforts. We are all part of the solution!