the happy cactus

Later this year, we are traveling to the UK. Exciting right? Unbelievable that we are finally booked in and the big ticket items have been paid for already and now we just have to plan the route and sites to see. Easy? Sure. But actually though…rather hard. My dear friend has said to me ‘you won’t get to do everything on your list so you will have to be ok with that’. Have you ever wanted to throat punch someone for their truth bomb? Well I have to say, in that moment, I did want to exercise my violent thought. Mind you, I have listed everything in that area to see such as ruins, castles, museums, must-do’s when in Cornwall etc. And yes, my dear friend is correct. I simply won’t fit it all in however, I am keeping those things on my list. It would be an extravagant undertaking even if I lived in that county for a year, it would simply not be an achievable task.

One place in particular that has my senses tingling is this one particular place in Scotland that has a beach full of fossilised ammonites, giant corals, fish and reptiles all dating back to the Jurassic period. Whaaaaaat??? This type of adventure really entices me because, if you think about it, it is like the earliest type of photograph. Yeah I know it’s not an actual photograph (like derrrrr) but it acts according to the same principle. It has immortalised and frozen that particular entity IN TIME for all eternity. That, my sweet friends, is what makes me intrigued. To find an imprint of something that was ions ago, from a different age, era, bygone is what really captivates my attention.

The remaining imprint or death imprint of what was and where it was in the long, long, long ago completely flummoxes me. I guess that it is intriguing for a few reasons, and none are more important that the other.

The imprint shows what creature/being/entity/thing was there at that time, minding its own business, doing its own thing when a change of events occurred. These said events (I’m not a scientist) caused that particular creature at that particular time to be preserved, frozen, dead. The intricate details of some imprints are astounding while others are ‘meh’ and you can barely make out what it was (think of having your first pregnancy scan when the Dr points out the vital parts and you pretend to know what he is talking about). The remnants left by the creature tells us some information and scientists can piece together and categorise a few things. How cool is that??!!

Another fascinating element is the connection from past to present. As a child, learning about the Jurassic period was pretty cool except for the dinosaurs, they were terrifying. Apparently there are some actual dinosaur footprints that are in the same area. When they walked, their weight squished their prints into the depths, leaving their mark…but who knows; fact or fiction? Giant corals, ammonites and shells don’t chase you down and eat you like a T-Rex or Raptors so they most certainly will not be scary.

The imprints leave a lot to the imagination but based on what present information tells us, and the shells, corals and sea creatures of today have changed, but this has not. Comforting to know I guess. While the world appears to be changing every half an hour, this is good to know that fossils prove that life for some marine animals has been consistent.

Similar to a photograph, these fossils tell a story. Imagine fast forwarding the same amount of time in the future as these old fossils were from history, what story would you leave? Some people leave a massive lasting imprint on the world. Some leave without a single trace, going silently into the night. And some, well, they do their best to make an impact and will be remembered for a generation or so. Some immortalised in books, quotes, readings and sonnets.

Younger me really grappled with this notion of being forgotten, having no imprint to leave, a mere shadow disappearing when the sun sets. I was terrified of dying because I would be forgotten and not given another consideration. This entire idea has dissipated astronomically the older I become and I realise the only imprint I worry about leaving is the one I have with my children and family. The here and now. My imprinted fossil won’t be discovered because I no longer strive to achieve this. I will be the imprint that is hard to recognise, hard to make out what creature it was. And I am ok with that. Sounds puffed up and comes across like I am apathetic but really, the only difference I can make is now with those around me. In one million years from now, my dust will not be here and those of my lineage will not seek me out except for the ancestry driven people discovering where they came from. And that’s cool.

We are here and we are now. Be the main character in your own story and history and try not to get caught up on whether we shall be immortalised in your generation. Live unabated and love wholly. Make those around you feel like they are the only ones in the room. Spread kindness and compassion. Choose to be kind. Find those who align with your core values and embrace them every single day.

This fossilised beach is going to be sublime and I cannot wait to step into a place that holds so much natural history.

To touch the fossil that once held life, once held a substance, forever immortalised in that moment in time will be fascinating.

I know I am romanticising this notion but to be in a space and touch a long forgotten creature in which connects me to the past is an experience I shall hold dear to my heart.