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	<title>Everyday Ecstasy &#187; wild dolphins</title>
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	<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com</link>
	<description>Celebrating the Beauty, Magic &#38; Wonder of Everyday Life!</description>
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		<title>Global Shift &#8211; Its Playtime! Join us &amp; the Dolphins this Sept, Oct &amp; Nov!</title>
		<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1552/global-shift-its-playtime-join-us-the-dolphins-this-sept-oct-nov/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1552/global-shift-its-playtime-join-us-the-dolphins-this-sept-oct-nov/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:31:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Noonan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Everyday Ecstasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[11-11-11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[awakening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bahamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bimini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin swims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin whisperer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[global]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humanity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joe noonan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[myhomepod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ocean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planetary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retreat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shift]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swimming with dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trip]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/?p=1552</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The World is changing &#38; Humanity is Waking Up! Now more than ever, its time to Live in Joy! There is so much to be Joyful about! Celebrate your many blessings! (I&#8217;m alive, I can breath, I have a computer I have internet I can see I can read I am self-aware etc etc etc) [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1552/global-shift-its-playtime-join-us-the-dolphins-this-sept-oct-nov/" title="Permanent link to Global Shift &#8211; Its Playtime! Join us &#038; the Dolphins this Sept, Oct &#038; Nov!"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-frJ2d3VzUf8/Tldc6FYCsbI/AAAAAAAAEe0/-b3uX5GvHSs/s800/100_0442.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Post image for Global Shift &#8211; Its Playtime! Join us &#038; the Dolphins this Sept, Oct &#038; Nov!" /></a>
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>The World is changing &amp; Humanity is Waking Up!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Now more than ever, its time to Live in Joy!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>There is so much to be Joyful about! Celebrate your many blessings!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(I&#8217;m alive, I can breath, I have a computer I have internet I can see I can read I am self-aware etc etc etc)</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;ve had an amazing stay here in Amsterdam. Its been a beautiful adventure; I&#8217;ve written a lot, started a new website (www.DolphinWhisperer.org &#8211; still under construction) and gotten inspired to live even simpler and more joyfully! How? By letting my heart lead the way, and the heart always leads with joy&#8230;</p>
<p>Seriously! Joy is the path of Tao, life, flow!</p>
<p>I&#8217;m headed back to Florida tomorrow, then over to beloved Bimini. I&#8217;ve got three upcoming opportunities for you to CELEBRATE This Most AMAZING TIME In HUMAN HISTORY!</p>
<p>(And activate your Joy &amp; Exuberance to new heights!)</p>
<p>These trips are beachfront adventures swimming with the wild dolphins of Bimini, Bahamas. They are for fun-loving individuals, couples and families. Are you ready to bring your Joy to Life?</p>
<p><a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/meditation-kundalini-yoga-wild-dolphins-sept-23-27-2011/" target="_blank">Sept 23 &#8211; 27 &#8211; Yoga, Bliss &amp; Dolphins!</a></p>
<p>Oct 2 &#8211; 5th &#8211; 3 days of Wild Dolphins! (email me for details)</p>
<p><a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/celebrate-111111-with-wild-dolphins/" target="_blank">Nov 9 &#8211; 13th &#8211; Celebrating 11:11:11 in the Ocean with the Dolphins!</a></p>
<p>Join us as we celebrate life with the dolphins!</p>
<p>Love,</p>
<p>Joe</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 487px">
	<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sn8JMKvvMbo/Tldc9xElk7I/AAAAAAAAEfA/68rmBUhBpeY/s720/0a.jpg" alt="" width="487" height="334" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Beth &amp; Spiral during our seaweed tag game last month!</p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">8    8    8<br />
<strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Check out the new website! <a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/" target="_blank">www.DolphinWhisperer.org</a></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Joe Noonan </strong>is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide, Joe leads retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.</p>
<p>A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. That harmony is inevitable and that innately we all just love each other and sometimes we forget — he is here to help us remember.</p>
<p><strong>Planetary Partners</strong> advocates, educates and celebrates conscious co-creation on an individual, local and global level. We offer workshops, meditations, events and trips that awaken our divine connection with Nature.</p>
<p><strong><em>“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” Tielhard de Chardin</em></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1552/global-shift-its-playtime-join-us-the-dolphins-this-sept-oct-nov/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Surfing the Shift with Playfulness and Joy!</title>
		<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1515/surfing-the-shift-with-playfulness-and-joy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1515/surfing-the-shift-with-playfulness-and-joy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:44:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Noonan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Everyday Ecstasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[abundance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[awakening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bahamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bimini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin whisperer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins swims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[global]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humanity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joe noonan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oneness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swimming with dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/?p=1515</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[SURFING the SHIFT with PLAYFULNESS &#38; JOY! The dolphins have increased the intensity of their interactions with us tremendously &#8211; this summer I&#8217;ve had some of the most playful and transformational swims with them in my 16 years of bringing people here. Earlier this month I was swimming with my friends Spiral and Swoop and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1515/surfing-the-shift-with-playfulness-and-joy/" title="Permanent link to Surfing the Shift with Playfulness and Joy!"><img class="post_image alignnone remove_bottom_margin" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dhWx-NBO23Q/Tldc_o5Q_sI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/FEzZ1Fs3_5c/s800/0f.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Post image for Surfing the Shift with Playfulness and Joy!" /></a>
</p><p>SURFING the SHIFT with PLAYFULNESS &amp; JOY!</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 485px">
	<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dhWx-NBO23Q/Tldc_o5Q_sI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/FEzZ1Fs3_5c/s800/0f.jpg" alt="" width="485" height="273" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Amanda meets Spiral!</p>
</div>
<p>The dolphins have increased the intensity of their interactions with us tremendously &#8211; this summer I&#8217;ve had some of the most playful and transformational swims with them in my 16 years of bringing people here.</p>
<p>Earlier this month I was swimming with my friends Spiral and Swoop and the gang, playing an intense game of seaweed tag. We were passing the seaweed back and forth, me with my hands and Spiral and Swoop with their mouths, pec fins, dorsal fins and tails. We were having a blast, and it seemed a god time to bring up the question I’d brought with me.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 476px">
	<a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Yfa977TVwTM/TlddJsgaQiI/AAAAAAAAEgM/LR259yPrNII/0p.jpg" alt="" width="476" height="296" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">&quot;NOW is always a great time to play!&quot;</p>
</div>
<p>“I’ve been guided to bring a couple more <a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/" target="_blank">groups out to play with you this fall</a>. How does that feel?”</p>
<p>“Bring ‘em!” was the immediate reply. &#8220;We will have fun with them, and will assist them in opening further!&#8221;</p>
<p>“Its good to have more people holding a focus of joy”, they said. “The world is changing on every level, and those who channel joy and playfulness make a powerful contribution to the process.”</p>
<p>“Is it safe” I asked, having had a wave of dire predictions directed to me by family and friends.</p>
<p>I felt the smile of their reply… “We are all eternally safe, here to leap and play across all creation. Relax, my friend, all is well. Everything is handled by a Loving Creator grander than all of us combined. Trust your joy, for it will guide you to what is truest and best for you.”</p>
<p>I was shown the image of parallel realities lined up alongside each other, each a bit unique from the one next to it. They went from scary to beautiful, so beautiful that I forgot to breath…</p>
<p>“There are infinite realities that share this planet, each with its own degree of fear and love. The question is always the same; which will you choose in this moment?”</p>
<p>I felt the warmth of love flood my being, felt the release of tensions held out of loyalty to others whom I love, others who continue to see a cloudy future… a big sigh came out of me, I felt at home and relaxed, allowing myself to enjoy the beauty that calls so clearly.</p>
<p>“Some will experience separation, others will be filled with joy. To each his own. For us it is an easy choice, one made long ago when we decided to be born into these bodies so beautifully designed to play and love life.”</p>
<p>Who was I to argue? I sure was having a blast playing with them. Then Spiral dropped the seaweed in front of me, and as I kicked hard to grab it, Swoop swept in and beat me to it, squealing and blowing a stream of bubbles out his blowhole (See the photos below &#8211; you’ll see us in action when I get the video posted!).</p>
<p>We played for a long time, and pure exuberance filled me many times over. I felt the joy, the relief and the excitement of remembering that all is well, and its being handled by a loving creator much older and wiser than us. I felt the excitement of knowing that every drop of joy and playfulness we feel is a direct contribution to the frequency of this planet.</p>
<p>Joy is our nature, our divine inheritance, and there is no end to how much fun we can have. As many saints and spiritual guides have said throughout history, joy is the unmistakable sign of the presence of God.</p>
<p>How much joy do you want in your life?</p>
<p>Giving you an Ocean of Hugs,</p>
<p>Joe</p>
<p>For more information about our upcoming dolphin trips, visit <a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/" target="_blank">DolphinWhisperer.org</a></p>
<p>For info on our <a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/?page_id=35" target="_blank">September 23 – 27<sup>th</sup>  trip</a> , Wild Dolphins, Yoga, Meditation &amp; Joy</p>
<p>And our <a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org/?page_id=29" target="_blank">November 9 – 13<sup>th</sup> trip, Celebrating 11:11:11 with the Dolphins</a></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 596px">
	<a href="http://dolphinwhisperer.org"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2esirLi44pg/TlddszqGGsI/AAAAAAAAEj4/7nnbSmaaRA0/s912/0e.jpg" alt="" width="596" height="333" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Come play with us!</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>8       8       8       8       8       8       8</p>
<p>Join our email list for upcoming trips, workshops &amp; events –<br />
<strong>Joe Noonan, Founder, Planetary Partners</strong><br />
An author, speaker, life coach and spiritual guide, Joe leads retreats around the world and facilitates self awareness programs for those on the path of awakening.<br />
A guest on National Geographic, Fox TV and Oprah, Joe reflects back to people that this world is already a Heaven on Earth, and that the tools to find joy in the moment are around and within us. That harmony is inevitable and that innately we all just love each other and sometimes we forget — he is here to help us remember.</p>
<p><strong>Planetary Partners</strong> advocates, educates and celebrates conscious co-creation on an individual, local and global level. We offer workshops, meditations, events and trips that awaken our divine connection with Nature.</p>
<p>Wild Dolphin Trips – <a title="http://PlanetaryPartners.com/Dolphins.htm" href="http://planetarypartners.com/Dolphins.htm" target="_blank">http://DolphinWhisperer.org</a><br />
Self Awareness Programs – <a title="http://PlanetaryPartners.com" href="http://planetarypartners.com/" target="_blank">http://PlanetaryPartners.com</a><br />
Corporate Leadership Seminars – <a title="http://QuantumLeadershipProject.com" href="http://quantumleadershipproject.com/" target="_blank">http://QuantumLeadershipProject.com</a><br />
Join Joe on Facebook – <a title="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Noonan/173068003565" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Noonan/173068003565" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Noo…</a></p>
<p><strong><em>“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” Tielhard de Chardin</em></strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>My New Dolphin Video!</title>
		<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1344/my-new-dolphin-video-plus-dolphin-trip-june-18-22nd-wdaniel-gutierrez/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/1344/my-new-dolphin-video-plus-dolphin-trip-june-18-22nd-wdaniel-gutierrez/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 19:19:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Noonan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Everyday Ecstasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[custom dolphin trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin swims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joe noonan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new dolphin video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planetary partners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swimming with dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphin trips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/?p=1344</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally! A video for my dolphin trips! Check it out and let me know how you like it! My friend Amanda Morton did an amazing job on this video&#8230; she&#8217;s masterfully woven film and music together in a way that gives me goosebumps! My June 5 &#8211; 11th Bimini trip has two spots left, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Finally! A video for my dolphin trips! Check it out and let me know how you like it!</p>
<p>My friend Amanda Morton did an amazing job on this video&#8230; she&#8217;s masterfully woven film and music together in a way that gives me goosebumps!</p>
<p>My June 5 &#8211; 11th Bimini trip has two spots left, and there&#8217;s a few spots in my June 18 -22nd trip with my son Mark. The focus of the trip is <a href="http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/bimini-wild-dolphin-trip-with-joe-noonan/" target="_blank">Living from the Heart &amp; Embodying our Passion!</a></p>
<p>The focus of this trip is living from the heart and embodying our passion and greatness. If you are interested, check out the website!</p>
<p>And if June is to soon for you, I&#8217;m returning to Bimini with my friend Malaena Mullen for a Oneness trip August 1 &#8211; 6th. The name of this trip is &#8216;Oneness, Deeksha &amp; Dolphins&#8217;. Both Malaena and I are Oneness Trainers and we&#8217;ll be facilitating some pretty powerful processes of Awakening! You can <a href="http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/deeksha-oneness-bhakti-join-malaena-mullen-joe-noonan-in-bimini-bahamas/" target="_blank">check out that trip here!</a></p>
<p>Sending you Love &amp; Blessings from India, the Land of Saints &amp; God Realization! (I just realized that! ;)</p>
<p>Love,</p>
<p>Joe</p>
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		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Merry Christmas! The Purpose of Christmas is&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/997/merry-christmas-the-purpose-of-christmas-is/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/997/merry-christmas-the-purpose-of-christmas-is/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:12:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Noonan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Everyday Ecstasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bahamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bimini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphin swims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family dolphin trip]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family trip]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joe noonan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[merry christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ocean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planetary partners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swimming with dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphin swims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/?p=997</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Merry Christmas to you! I&#8217;m in Bimini, the Bahamas, leading a dolphin trip for a wonderful family of Canadians that drove 24 hours from Toronto to be here for 5 days. In the past few days, they&#8217;ve become my family too&#8230; Jen&#8217;s here wth me, helping me out big time! And Nan from Calgary has [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Merry Christmas to you!</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 357px">
	<a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs763.ash1/165484_471693708478_682043478_5914615_6426314_n.jpg"><img class="  " title="Merry Christmas from Bimini" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs763.ash1/165484_471693708478_682043478_5914615_6426314_n.jpg" alt="" width="357" height="268" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Merry Christmas from Bimini!</p>
</div>
<p>I&#8217;m in Bimini, the Bahamas, leading a dolphin trip for a wonderful family of Canadians that drove 24 hours from Toronto to be here for 5 days.</p>
<p>In the past few days, they&#8217;ve become my family too&#8230;</p>
<p>Jen&#8217;s here wth me, helping me out big time! And Nan from Calgary has joined us!</p>
<p>Today, Christmas Day, we went out and swam with a pod of wild dolphins.. it was, well WILD!</p>
<p>They rubbed up next to Shannon and me&#8230; it was so magical, they came so close&#8230;</p>
<p>I got a great quote about Christmas&#8230; it distilled the essence of the season for me; cut thru the fluff right to the stuff!</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Before  Santa and presents and shopping, this holiday was enshrined to  commemorate a guy who got nailed to a tree for daring to tell people to  be kind to one another. If you have two cloaks, He said, give one away.  Remember those who have less than you, be charitable, be good, be  merciful.&#8221; </em> William Rivers Pitt</p>
<p>Sending you Love &amp; Blessings for your Christmas!!!</p>
<p>Joe</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 419px">
	<a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs009.ash2/33817_472291023478_682043478_5923627_955150_n.jpg"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs009.ash2/33817_472291023478_682043478_5923627_955150_n.jpg" alt="" width="419" height="235" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">10 year old Shannon (the one driving the golf cart at 30 mph over the speed bumps!) said of her first day in Bimini; &quot;I have a 1000 new colors&quot;</p>
</div>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Take on something new! (I dare you!)</title>
		<link>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/626/they-learned-how-to-swim-and-snorkel-in-under-two-hours/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/626/they-learned-how-to-swim-and-snorkel-in-under-two-hours/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 May 2010 22:05:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Noonan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Everyday Ecstasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bahamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bimini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ocean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snorkeling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swimming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dolphins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ajoyfulnature.com/?p=626</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The ocean can be a scary place&#8230; I used to have nightmares of sinking in it as a kid. Its BIG and DEEP and full of weird stuff including SHARKS!!! (Scared yet? ;) The ocean is also a place of fathomless beauty and wonder&#8230; a place we go to to be baptized and reborn. A [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>The ocean can be a scary place&#8230; I used to have nightmares of sinking in it as a kid. Its BIG and DEEP and full of weird stuff including SHARKS!!!</p>
<p>(Scared yet? ;)</p>
<p>The ocean is also a place of fathomless beauty and wonder&#8230; a place we go to to be baptized and reborn.</p>
<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7FOssK3pXj8/S-wCje_OYNI/AAAAAAAABXQ/RzklI3ScPUY/s640/IMG_2053.JPG"><img title="Bimini Wild Dolphin Trip" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7FOssK3pXj8/S-wCje_OYNI/AAAAAAAABXQ/RzklI3ScPUY/s640/IMG_2053.JPG" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a></p>
<p>A few weeks ago I taught half this group how to snorkel. Some were strong swimmers, some didn&#8217;t know how to swim, and some were scared of the ocean. It was the beginning of a five day dolphin trip that Jen and I were leading. Day one is &#8216;get friendly with the water&#8217; day, and its one of my favorite.</p>
<p>These brave adventurers brought their brand new masks, snorkels and fins into the water. After showing them how to adjust and wear them, they each got coached in putting their face into the water and breathing thru their snorkel. Not an easy feat! Putting your face IN the water and inhaling is counter-intuitive. It takes a <em>bit </em>of practice and a <em>lot </em>of trust.</p>
<p>Then, once everyone&#8217;s floating comfortably face down on the surface, I taught them each how to to do a surface dive.</p>
<p>Yup, virgin first-time beginner snorkelers learning how to freedive &#8211; it was <em>awesome</em> to behold how their excitement lead them thru their fear.</p>
<p>The whole thing took less than two hours&#8230; Like learning to ride a bike, now they have a skill for life! I get so inspired watching people overcome their fears, I&#8217;m often moved to tears. (I&#8217;m sure it was the salt water&#8230; ;)</p>
<p>Twenty years ago, I taught my former mother-in-law how to snorkel&#8230; she was scared but was curious to see what we were so interested in. I remember getting her to float on the surface of the ocean and keeping her face in the water&#8230; it took a few minutes, but then she got the hang of it&#8230;</p>
<p>Then the magic ensued&#8230;</p>
<p>She stopped thinking about the snorkel and began to notice the fish life at her feet&#8230; Watching her from a few feet away, I could feel the shift&#8230; she began swimming slowly along the shoreline, following the nooks and crannies of the rocks, and for the next fifteen minutes, didn&#8217;t lift her head out of the water<em> once</em>&#8230;</p>
<p>And when she did, she was radiant! The same radiance I saw on these friend&#8217;s faces &#8211; the beautiful innocent look of wonder&#8230;</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve seen this happen so many times; once people get a glimpse of life under the sea, they become enraptured.</p>
<p>The very next day, our group of first time snorkelers were swimming and playing off the back of a boat in forty feet of crystal clear blue water with the wild dolphins; they were ecstatic!</p>
<p>Take on something new; it will open your horizons.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7FOssK3pXj8/S-2srcI0tMI/AAAAAAAABew/rN6Dz-acO8g/s640/IMG_2555.JPG" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></p>
<p>And we swam with the dolphins!</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7FOssK3pXj8/S-1mvOaMDLI/AAAAAAAABdg/fpFadbdH530/s640/IMG_2403.JPG" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></p>
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