It’s been a little over a week now since I came home from college. To be honest, I hadn't watched any T.V. or movies over the past months because I was so busy. It has been so nice to be able to just chill out and relax with my family and watch some good old television. It’s funny because when I scroll through Netflix, it almost takes me the same amount of time to find something to watch as it does to watch an entire movie. There are so many choices ...where do I even begin?
I found a great series out of Australia that sparked my interest at first glance. I mean the image of someone coming up out of the ground looked intriguing I guess. I started to watch Glitch, a series based upon this idea of reincarnation of the dead stemming from the top-secret studies done at a pharmaceutical company. The concept was interesting. I found it to be different and a little bit disturbing and creepy, so unfortunately I stopped after the second season. I do recommend it if you like creepy thrillers.
I decided to look for something a little more uplifting and stumbled across My Octopus Teacher, a documentary on Netflix. I have always loved the ocean and animals, so I was curious to see what this Oscar Winning movie was all about. To be honest, I had no idea how intelligent and trusting an octopus could be. I never even knew anything about these creatures. My Octopus Teacher is a documentary about a man, Craig Foster, who had become burnt out of his job and didn’t like how his life was playing out. He wanted to "go to his happy place as a child." I can relate to him in a way because after a long year of hard work and uncertain circumstances in the world, I have been feeling a little burnt out myself.
Foster went to a place where he grew up as a child, the ocean. He went every day for 235 days to the kelp forests within the blue sea off of the coast of South Africa. He did not wear scuba gear and instead went free-diving to be in a more natural state within the ocean. He could hold his breath for six minutes at a time! He became curious with an octopus he found while exploring the ocean’s forest of kelp. The crazy thing is that Foster developed a love for this animal and in return, this octopus began to develop trust and a connection with the man over the months of visiting and observing. From reaching out a tentacle to crawling all over his chest to taking him through the undersea forest, this octopus showed a trust that humans wish in relationships. I won't give away everything because you really should watch it. It won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
A lot can be learned from this documentary. My main take-aways:
Persistence pays off
Love comes in all shapes and sizes
Expect the unexpected
Trust and love always go hand in hand
The best lessons don't always come from textbooks
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