My thoughts were captivated by a story about a fish. Not just any kind of fish. Well, let’s just say at least not one that has a real bearing on this story. This fish was viewed by a class of students.
From my memory bank from around 20 years ago this is how the story went. It has my embellishments of course – since I do love to write and to help you understand the setting.
The writer was a student in a scientific class of students. Of what type? I do not know. It has no significance here, nor what my title is about. They were newish students that were with the writer. A professor of this class came and “slapped” a big, cold fish on the laboratory bench. My description of the fish will end here as you will see why.
The professor’s instructions were short and brief.
“Write down everything you can see or understand about this fish. You have half an hour.’
The writer of this story – went about writing with consideration to the time period. And also with his assumption that he could easily complete the task within that time frame. Towards the end of the half hour he had slowed a little. He had an academic scrawl and had learned to write quickly and concisely.
The professor arrived precisely (or so it seemed to the student) on the half hour to the front of that class.
He peered at them with no readability in his expression. He now had another instruction imminent.
“You now have another half hour to write down everything you can see or understand about this fish.”
The writer student was for a moment perplexed. He was sure that he had done well and had prepared himself to be commended on his long list of attributes. It seemed – he noted the fellow students mirrored almost similar thoughts. He spent the next half hour digging deep into his thinking about this immobile part of nature on the bench. He felt that this time he had more than covered anything or everything that one could want to wish or know about this fish.
Once more the professor showed up.
“You have now – one hour to look upon this fish.”
He abruptly left the room.
The student had a spark of what the professor was getting at – but that was after the incredulous thought of: “What?? Another hour of observation of this fish?”
The writer learned more in that hour about thinking, observation and missing things than he ever had in his entire life. That lesson came up before him. He had come up with so many observations in that hour with this fish that he particularly noted his poor sight. They were vital things (by his own admission) of which he had become keenly aware.
So reader, it comes to me that many of us are weak at observing and seeing and great at missing things. What have you been missing in your life? D.H.
“Seeing the world through different eyes. What is your frame of reference?”
~ My Salt & Seasons ~ 