a whaley short story

purpose in human connection

I recently took a trip to Hawaii, where I met a lot of really amazing people. Someone that really impressed me was a woman named Takako. She worked on a boat run by 6 locals that took 80 tourists on a snorkel tour of Maui. The boat was the most efficient operation I’ve ever seen. As the tourists clamored for extra coffee and whined for sunscreen, I watched the crew float from duty to duty, wordlessly throwing each other ropes, grilling burgers one moment and de-fogging masks the next. My mouth dropped as Takako dove 30 feet to tie up the boat and jumped out, soaking wet, to fit me with flippers.

I started talking to her while treading water in a remote volcanic crater. I had snorkeled too far from the boat, caught up in a meditative world, and she called me back to reality. She told me she was from Japan but had moved to Hawaii for love. Her daughter lived in New York and her mom back in Japan. She was so warm and easy to talk to and I felt an inexplicable connection to her.

After she warned me that she had to get back to work and started to paddle away, I heard her scream my name.

-“Brenna!”

- “What Takako?”

- “Can you hear the whales singing?”

I ducked my head under the water and heard the beautiful and soft screech of the whales singing to one another. I swam up with delight.

- “I heard it!” Takako beamed.

What initially impressed me about Takako was her fearlessness. During the snorkel trip a guy dropped something at the bottom of the ocean. Do you know what Takako did? She just popped down to the OCEAN FLOOR and found his bracelet. When she came up, I told her she was a bad ass. She said it was “part of her job”.

I have been reflecting on why I connected to easily to her. Often times I am attracted to people who are confident and decisive. They just do it - whether it’s riding a motorcycle, or venturing out on a solo camping trip, or diving to the bottom of the ocean - somehow, they don’t hesitate to do what they enjoy doing. I’m attracted to those types of people because I want to do these things myself.

But more importantly, when I sort through it, it’s confidence that draws me in, but softness that allows me to linger. I am not interested in low effort people: people who woo me with their bravado and savviness but are afraid to be truly vulnerable. I am interested in people who care deeply. Who work hard. Who put themselves out there and push past what is comfortable. Who aren’t afraid to be silly. Who are brave. Who appreciate the small gestures of friendship or love in life. Who ask me if I’ve ever heard whales singing.

The more and more I practice seeking out these kind of connections, the easier they are to find. Often, I feel the energy of another person so strongly, it takes me back. I read a quote by James Thurber that reminded me why I value these human connections so much:

To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.

To take note of the connections we make, even if they are short and impermanent, is important to finding each other, and finding our purpose in life. I may not know what my purpose is, but I am closer to finding it.