Peering into the petri dish, I was struck by the dozens, maybe hundreds of life forms swarming around, likely stunned by their temporary misfortune of being plucked from their habitat. I looked up and glanced at the volunteers who faced the daunting task of identifying the creatures. I glanced to my right, then reached down into bucket and touched a starfish the size of my head. My hand was under one of its arms. It flexed and strained to my surprise.
Minutes later, walking pass hundreds of nervous pelicans, I witnessed a sea slug being returned to the ocean. The researcher squatted in the rushing surf, trying to get the slug to hang on to some jutting rocks. Water rushed up and soaked him...and me, standing there knee deep, oblivious of everything except for the fascinating spectacle before me.
I've driven by the Malibu Pier and beach many times before. But, really, who knew how much life beneath this heap of wood and concrete? I was awestruck thinking of what I had seen, walking along the sidewalk back to the car, watching the cars zoom by on the Pacific Coast Highway. In my mind, I suddenly felt the ground tilt towards the ocean, the expansive weight of life below the surface of the water pulling everything and everyone in.
-RD
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