 By Brooke Maffia Wang
At 8 years old my daughter wanted a snake, tarantula, turtle, or a fox. I agreed to a fish. A week after getting the beta fish she named Luno he seemed at the end of his time with us. However, he hug on for weeks. Just lying at the bottom of the tank. I changed the water, lighting, and tried all the things to help him do more than just exist. Shocked he was still alive we decided to get three guppies to live in the 2 gallon tank with him, mostly to make my daughter feel better about having what she called “a boring fish.” A day or less after we added the three lively guppies to the tank his behavior totally changed. Luno would swim around the tank, sleep behind the filter instead of on the rocks on the bottom, and looked as happy as I assume a fish could look. All we did was put him with other fish. He didn’t particularly seem to want to play with them or like them, but having them there completely changed his behavior. I realize he is a fish and us humans are completely different animals. (And, hindsight we learned that you’re not supposed to put beta’s with guppies. Oops.) However, by watching what happened with Luno my soul was a reminded of how important the people around us are. Community is not a suggestion, it’s a necessity for life. And, it can be hard. Sometimes we don’t get to choose who we are in community with. In this transition place of summer ending (or ended, we’re in full swing of school and sports) and the new semester beginning, consider taking a few beats to notice the different communities you find yourself apart of. Which ones are life-giving? Which ones require more from you? Within those spaces, what do you offer and what do you receive? Are there any that you’ve outgrown or perhaps a new one inviting you in? Comments are closed.
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