Stocking the pond is a pretty simple task but being the therapist I am it was full of emotion. You see, all the fish I had originally placed so lovingly in the pond died. At first it was the smaller fish that floated on their sides to the top of the water, but the goldfish were not immune. Each fish was given a proper burial by yours truly but the fifth goldfish just disappeared. I began to dream that it had found a better, safer pond where it is now living a happier existence but as one of the children I treat suggested, it was probably eaten by a bird or cat. Kids just say it as it is.
As for the grief involved, the gentle man who put the filter and pump in the pond, became my fish therapist, walking me patiently through the stages of shock, denial and mourning, until for some reason he stopped answering my calls.
I decided to work through the pain and disappointment, checked the water (the pond man finally did answer a call and made a home visit. The water apparently was fine..) added some Nymphaeas, and headed to t he pet store. There I bought five healthy looking Rosie Bar fish that are apparently wonderful at eating mosquito larvae and are a must for the fish pond. The salesman patiently explained to me how to place the bag of fish into the water and thus allow the water to gradually reach the temperature of the water in the pond. I would need to add pond water little by little to the water in the bag until after about twenty minutes the fish would be acclimated to the temperature of the pond water and only then should I let them out of the bag and into the pond.
It was a beautiful sunny day so I sat by the pond while the fish in the bag floated in the water. Then out of nowhere, a fish came out of the depths of the pond and swam right up to the bag. I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought they had all died but here was one that had survived. This tiny fish swam back and forth along the bag while all the fish that were inside the bag lined up side by side wagging their tails. It honestly looked like a reunion of old friends. This went on for a few minutes while I looked on in wonder. A few minutes later I let all the fish out of the bag and they swam away happily with their newfound friend. It was one of those "did I really see that?" moments. It was a tiny glimpse into a different world and it reminded me how closely I need to look to truly see what's going on. There are so many moments where we get it wrong, where we miss the point and fail to see the beauty around us. That picture stays with me. I had no time to photograph this but it made that stamp and reminds me to stop and look. There is more than just meets the eye.
And yes, they did live happily ever after.
