Prologue

The excitement in the group was palpable as the dive boat came to rest in the waters just offshore from The Galapagos Islands. With a surge of adrenaline I dropped backwards over the side, feeling the shock of the cool water as I reached to adjust my face mask. Ali beckoned us in the direction she wanted us to swim, following the currents around the volcanic island, its rugged coastline home to a rich array of marine life. What we encountered was almost beyond belief. A bale of Giant turtles gliding aimlessly, a colony of sea lions frolicking, a mess of marine iguanas feeding on the seabed, the occasional reef shark on the prowl, and schools of colourful fish. What happened next was even beyond the expectation of Ali, our experienced Galapagos guide. A raft of about ten penguins came into sight, occasionally bobbing up to the surface for air before diving back down in search of fish. For a moment we stopped, concerned we would scare them off, but we needn’t have worried. The penguins were going to have some fun and we were their playthings. Weaving in and out of the black wetsuit clad snorkelists, they relished the attention. As underwater GoPro cameras captured the spectacle, one particularly boisterous penguin pecked a lens with its beak before quickly diving out of view. That evening, back on board the luxury catamaran that was our home for the week, Ali couldn’t hide her delight as she explained to us what a rare experience we had enjoyed. Her enthusiasm was infectious. “Maybe nature is paying you back for being such a great group of people,” she said. The small cohort of visitors from various corners of the world that were our companions for the week beamed at each other with a mixture of pride and contentment. We had experienced something really quite special.

The experience with the Galapagos penguins reminded me of a recurring conversation I have with my wife, Tracy. It starts with her saying “Aren’t we lucky.” This may be a stand-alone comment, in which case I take it that she is referring to our general life situation, or is stated in relation to something specific, like the fact that we are enjoying a particular holiday, or that we are in good health. I have learnt over time that the correct response to this comment is to just smile and agree that we are, indeed, lucky. What I am actually thinking during these conversations is that our situation is, at least in part, a result of the choices we have made. Reflecting on our encounter with the penguins, I wonder—was this really just serendipity? Sartre once said, 'We are our choices.' And perhaps this moment, unexpected yet perfectly timed, was not just about luck, but about the life decisions that had led to us being there.