Michael, I enjoy your words.  Speak more to them, if you wish.. Yesterday I woke up thinking that I wanted a dog to walk. I've never had my own dog. I saw this dog waiting for me and I would put on its leash and take it around the block at the end of the day.

I went searching for dogs. Just to look.

I came home with two betta fighting fish, each with a nice, large round "garden" bowl. One betta is dark blue. The other is pale pink. They each sit on opposite sides of my bookshelves, swimming happily in their new homes.  They are from Asia and usually live in small pockets of water in rice paddies. The males are beautiful, but will fight to kill if placed together.

When I approach each bowl, the fantails lazily drift as the fish swims over to look into my looming face.

I am GOD, but they are FREE.  I feed them, but they do not understand their SOURCE.

I release the idea of a leash. I release the idea of a line. I see only beauty. I see only the beating hearts of those who swim in freedom and in curiosity.

All they wish for is SAFETY and SPACE.  What is this ROCK?  What is this PLANT? Oh, here is my AIR BUBBLE.  Oh, look, MANNA from HEAVEN!

"Why am I so beautiful?" ask the bettas.

You are beautiful, dear bettas, because you each have your HOME, so you have no need to fight.

And yet, without the two of you, the contrasting colors of you, you would only be half as beautiful.

You each can see, but in your blindness, you are free.

love, blink