
The fish who didn't believe in water
I believe that we are all part of one amazing Universe. All connected together and not separate at all. But most of our programming we received from our parents is the opposite of this, that we are a separate body in a world of unconnected parts. (It’s no-ones fault, it’s just generations of programming).
I used to believe this too, but in the last decade I have come to realise that this old view of the world is simply not true for me anymore. In my experience, we are all One. It can take some meditation and mindfulness to notice and experience this or in my case, a sudden shift, totally out of the blue.
So if you are curious, then investigate and keep an open mind. You may be surprised by what you find!
I was wondering if there was a simple metaphor about how to explain this subtle but massive shift of perspective and I found myself writing this story…
It’s a story about a very intelligent fish called Bizzy and his encounter with a very chilled out fish called Grace.
This book is not illustrated or on sale yet, but I am working on it! It’s a children’s book format but it’s for all ages!
I hope you enjoy this story.
The fish who didn’t believe in water
There once was a fish called Bizzy.
Bizzy knew he was a fish. He had read this in a book.
This book had told him about all the different kinds of animals living the sea. He liked this book because it gave him names for all the other animals he saw.
He believed he was different to all the other animals.
Bizzy was very curious. He liked to find out things. He was always very, well, busy.
In fact Bizzy knew names for everything. Shark. Turtle. Whale. Angel Fish. Crab. Jelly fish. Coral reef.
Other fish came to Bizzy if they had a question and he always had the answer.
But one day Bizzy met another fish called Grace.
Grace didn’t have any questions for Bizzy. She just seemed very happy swimming along.
Bizzy was puzzled. He liked being near Grace - she had a happy glow to her but he could not work out why.
After a while Bizzy asked Grace, ‘why are you so happy. Why do you not have any questions for me? I know about all the different animals in the sea.’
Grace smiled and said, ‘what questions should I ask? I just like swimming in the water’.
Bizzy looked confused. ‘What is water?’ he asked.
‘It’s everything’, said Grace.
Bizzy thought about all the books he had read. There was nothing about water, just names for all the different animals in the sea.
‘I don’t believe in water!’ he said.
'Yes, I know what you mean’, said Grace, ‘I didn’t used to believe in water either. I was always rushing around. Then one day I stopped and just rested in the deep peace of the ocean. That’s when I realised that I was mostly made of water, so were all the other animals and plants and corals.’
Bizzy looked even more confused. ‘Are you saying that I am the same as a shark or a dolphin? But I look totally different to them!’
‘It’s an odd thought, isn’t it, but I just see things as different shapes. We are all water, just in different shapes’, said Grace, smiling.
It took Bizzy a while to think about what Grace had said. It was a lot to absorb.
All his books had told him that he was a fish, different to everything else and separate from everything else and there was no mention of water!
But then he thought some more and realised the truth of what Grace was saying.
To tell the truth, Bizzy hadn’t been happy thinking he was separate from everything else. In fact, it made him feel sad and lonely some days.
So, he took Grace’s advice and just spent time resting in the peace of the ocean, which he had been too busy to notice before.
The more peaceful he became, the more he understood.
This wasn’t something he could learn in a book. Words could not explain what he was feeling. He felt a deep connection to all things.
He was surrounded by water and this connected him to everything else in the sea. He hadn’t felt this peaceful since he was a baby fish.
He was glad he had read all the books and learnt the names for everything. But what made him feel really happy now was remembering his connection to everything.
‘Everything is made of water… fancy that’ he chuckled to himself.
Bizzy and Grace became the best of friends.
They glowed together, they flowed together and sometimes they just laughed together!
Copyright © 2022 By Rob Holmes