Thought for The Day - Life and Lessons in Death

Since the summer began, I have had an obsession with tropical fish and aquariums! My oldest son came home from college with a beautiful betta fish, he called brownie and it rekindled all my old hobby habits. I remember changing the water in my ten gallon aquarium once a month the old fashioned way. That is, I scooped out the fish and completely drained the water. I carried the tank to the sink to wash it and the rocks, WITH EACH WATER CHANGE! And I did it EACH TIME! I didn't lose fish the way I have with the modern conveniences and recommendations!

I bought a 10 gallon aquarium and filled it with Buenos Aires Tetra and Tiger Barb. It was the most fun to come in each evening and place my hand on the side of the glass and watch them swarm over to my watch my fingers! Twelve fish, swimming in close formation and playing! But them one morning, I came into my space and one of the tiger barbs was dead and stuck to the filter! Well not much loss, there were plenty of others to keep me entertained! And in the aquarium hobby, loss of fish is normal. That was earlier this week; today there are only 6 fish in the tank! An outbreak of "ich," a parasite that affects tropical fish, killed off the other fish in a little over 48 hours. Now from what I'm hearing, I wasn't proactive enough and if I'm quite honest, I didn't take any precautions at all.

An attachment is formed between people and their pets. An attachment is formed between people! Any loss of life is always a blow. This week's experience has taught me to slow the pace a bit! Take time to enjoy what's in front of me and cherish it. Whether it is pets or people, all life is valuable!

Thought for The Day - Knowing Self

My newest hobby: freshwater aquariums. Growing up, I would see them in the store - back then, nearly every major department store carried a selection of goldfish and "one-offs." As long as my mom would allow, I would stand in front of the tanks, listening to the water filtering in and out and watching the fish. At 15, I got my first aquarium; a ten gallon aquarium that I cleaned faithfully for the next three years or so. Filled it with black Mollies and gold Platys and a bunch of snails. But this year, on my birthday, my wife bought a huge 37 gallon aquarium! It was all I had not to go out the same day and fill it with fish! Since that time, I have filled it and will add more as the tank matures.

My wife's one thing: I don't have many colorful fish in it. She's right, but the pet stores of today are "extremely helpful" - the good one's anyway. They made suggestions for 'starter' fish, creatures that are hardy and can tolerate fluctuations in temperature and chemicals naturally produced in our unstable industrialized water supply. They happen to be plain and small. Again, it was all I had not to populate the tank quickly, but that being said, I ignored advice from the sales reps in the store and good friends at work who also have or had aquariums. Angel fish had to make it in the tank and so far, they get along well with the rest of the community.

I'm sitting in my space at the moment, staring at my "third" tank. I wanted a smaller aquarium for my space, to look at while painting and writing. Tranquil, peaceful and lively... I filled it with fish that are as just as unappealing as the larger tank, but fish that love to be in schools of 6 or more. There movement as a group is beautiful and relaxing...

Some of my coworkers and others I've talked with spoke of their aquariums. The fish they've had are far more appealing. Beautiful colorful fish, but aggressive and in some cases predatory. The type of fish you feed with smaller fish! Mind you, I want colorful fish, but not predatory fish. And the one thing each person that had these fish said: "circle of life." meaning you see bigger fish eat smaller fish. Nope, not me. Community, unity, one place, like the world I desire...

My music preferences:

• Relaxing
• Romantic
• Soft
• Truthful
• Inspiring
• Thought-provoking

My book preferences:

• Educational
• Informative
• When violent, with a purpose
• Historical
• Romantic

My Desired World:

• Thoughtful
• Community - other minded
• Unified
• Peaceful
• Nurturing
• Growing