genius in the simple

from trevor’s encyclopedia of beautiful things

Because I’m an elementary school teacher, I know a little about a lot.

One day, I wondered, “What is one thing I can study so I can know a lot about a little?

How can I become a genius about one thing?”

Whales. 

That was the answer to my wondering question.

I would learn everything I could learn about the ‘lottest,’ the biggest, creatures to have EVER lived in the world.

My wonder of whales began when I was a boy. 

I was a little, inquisitive, kind kid and my heart was drawn to whales, who were similar to me in their inquisitiveness and kindness, but different from me in their, well, in their ‘lottness.’

“What would it be like,” I thought, “To be friends with whales? 

To be protected by whales? 

To be in the peaceful presence of whales?”

Since that time, I’ve learned that humpback whales hold seals on their chests to protect them from killer whales. 

Blue whales have hearts the size of Volkswagen Beetles and sing to each other over thousands and thousands of miles. 

Narwhals place the tips of their long, hornlike teeth into the broken ones of hurting narwhals to assuage their pain.

That’s what whales do.

That’s who whales are.

Around my school, I’m known as the whale genius, not because of my deep and wide knowledge of all things cetacean, but because of my curiosity about them, my love for them and my passion to be like them - protective, present and peaceful in the world.

That’s what I do.

That’s who I am.

That’s the lottness in my littleness.

That’s the genius in my simple.

That’s me.