The fat whale tale

Two California blue whales were hanging out in the deep sea. They were both in their mid twenties and had been friends since they were babies. Even thought they were best mates, they were very different.

Moby spend ages in the depths of the sea, just lazing about and taking naps. She didn’t really like making the two hundred metre trip to the surface, and seldom came up for oxygen.

Noah enjoyed coming up to the surface often, playing with other sea creatures, taking part in spraying competitions. Through practice she was able to shoot spray as far as three stories high!

Moby loved to eat just about anything that got in her way: Krill, plankton, all types of fish… she would gorge up to nine tons per day, sometimes even ten. Not because she was hungry, but out of boredom and unconsciousness. And at twenty five, she weighed almost two hundred tons.

Noah, on the other hand, was a picky eater. She ate only the finest micro-organisms and never allowed herself to get too full, as she liked feeling light and being able to move freely.

Noah tried to involve Moby in her many trips to the surface as she thought the extra oxygen and exercise would do her good. But Moby always had an excuse. She was too tired or too busy to make the effort.

One day, on one of their many migratory trips to Costa Rica, the two whales somehow lost touch. Noah swam so beautifully and effortlessly that Moby just couldn’t keep up. She stayed back with the older whales, which ended up migrating to a different location. After that, the two friends didn’t see each other for a long time.

Twenty years or so later, at an Endangered Species Summit, the two friends bumped into each other.

- Noah, where were you all this time?  By Calipso, you have changed! Look at you, you grew longer than a basketball court! You look amazing! And what about your skin markings, you are positively glowing!

- My dear cow (a cow is a female whale), it’s great to see you again! I am doing great. In fact, I am on my way to the Spraying Olimpic Games to represent blue whales. But how are you doing? Your skin colour looks greyish and dull. Are you ok? You must have put on about twenty elephants in weight since I last saw you!

- Yes, I don’t feel good at all, my friend. The doctor reckons I have about five years to live, if that. I can’t migrate anymore as my weight gets in the way. My low frequency sounds are practically undetectable, and I get lost all the time. I am really afraid I am going to get killed by man.  I don’t know how this happened to me. I must have really bad genes…

What you do now determines the results you will get in the future. Let this tale of two whale friends inspire you to take action now. Go get healthy!

Anna Aparicio

http://www.delite.ie