Aquatic Dreams

While I was growing up, my family spent many vacations at our condo in Florida. We were a close drive to the beach and many magical attractions. I had been to SeaWorld a handful of times, always admiring the trainers. I would daydream about what it would be like to swim with dolphins and orcas whales. I mean, what 90’s kid didn't want to be best friends with an Orca named Willy?!  

A few years ago, my boyfriend and I went to SeaWorld in San Diego. We had a long weekend therefore it was time for an adventure. I was reminded of how much I love getting to know the animal species from the ocean. It’s a whole different world, mysterious and magical. And lucky for us, our ticket came with a year free of park admission! We made our way back a few months later. This trip was a surprise birthday gift for me. And what a way to spend my 25^th birthday! Because we had free admission, my boyfriend registered us for multiple animal encounters.

All of my aquatic dreams came true!

We started the day at Dolphin Cove to meet some of the swimmers. We learned training tricks and spent quality time with adult and baby dolphins. We got a little wet but to have a dolphin do a flip because you signaled it to, was an experience I had always imagined. The second encounter for the day was something special just for me. I slipped into a SeaWorld wetsuit, climbed into Arctic water, and met the most wonderful Beluga whale! I was in the water hugging and training the Arctic’s sea canary. We bonded so much that she even gave me a kiss! And after our interactions, we ended the day relaxing with a delicious dinner by a private training pool for the Orca whales. Just on the other side of the glass wall were the beautiful creatures. The close proximity to this animal was just enough to make tears of joy trickle down my cheeks.

This my friends, is a once in a lifetime experience; a dream of mine that I never expected to reach. I know you have them too, goals or dreams that are so fun to think about but you feel that you may never get the chance to actually reach it. That’s why it is so special when you have a support system. Sometimes you need help reaching a dream, and sometimes the journey is that much better when you work with someone else. In these moments, when you catch that intangible dream, be grateful for whatever got you there! Remember how blessed life can be.

What dream did you catch that you never thought you would?