Chameleons, nudibranchs and Wild Teachers

Today, my gardener, Raphael Yakobe, called me out to the garden to look at a chameleon that was climbing up a vine, wrapped around a tree. He began to explain that the sign of chameleons in our garden meant that the garden was healthy. My garden is filled with different bushes, plants, flowers, vines and fruit trees. It is situated in the heart of Newlands, Cape Town. I was quite chuffed to hear his statement. Although, all credit should go to him and his amazing knowledge of earth and plants. (I really admire his character and countenance). This encounter in my garden sparked off a desire to get to know my backyard.

Later in the afternoon, I had the privilege of going for a freedive off Fishhoek. It was like going into another type of garden. One that exists where humans can’t breathe and yet where a whole abundance of life thrives. This dive was not one where we searched out turtles, rays or ‘big’ sea creatures. It was a dive to seek out the little things – to take in the detail and inspect how it all fits into the bigger picture. Holding onto the stalks of kelp, letting our bodies sway with the current, we fixated our gaze on boulders, that were covered with a myriad of colourful sponges and seaweeds, to find a variety of nudibranchs, anemones and some colourful sea-fans – letting our eyes, then, rest on the cute, orange starfish dotted around before returning to the surface. My brother calls nudibranchs the Easter Eggs of the sea because it is always a treasure hunt to find them.

I’ve been inspired by the work of Craig Foster in his award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher, to connect to nature through immersion. I realise that this act of connecting is what gets one to care. And with a heart that wants to care… a lot can be done.

The Sea Change Project (the team behind My Octopus Teacher) has put out a new challenge to those who want to take what they’ve experienced on screen through the documentary, a step further. They’ve called people to be storytellers in their next project: My Wild Teacher 
It’s a brilliant way to get humans to sensitise the heart and senses to the nature or environment that is surrounding them.

I’ve been letting the underwater world sensitise me for a while now, but meeting this little chameleon today, has sparked a desire to get my fingers into the dirt of my garden. Whether I stay committed to this desire, time will tell. But what I would like to take note of is the lesson in seeing the detail of nature. It’s important to see the small things. The things lost by tall trees or big leaves. It’s also fun to watch such a small creature weave it’s way through such a big world. I wonder what the little one is doing now?