Why Am I Doing This?
The Blue Marble
I don’t brush my teeth every morning. But every morning, I think about J. The blue marble he gave me sits on my bathroom sink, a constant reminder that we have a big job to do on this beautiful blue marble we call home. Some days, it inspires me to do just that. On other days, I am busy, self-involved, and unconcerned with how to make my world—and the world around me—a better place.
J first came into my life as an instructor at the Force Blue training mission in the Caymans. After the mission, I read his best-selling book and then had the privilege of putting its principles into practice alongside J himself. We worked on a variety of ocean conservation projects, spending countless hours on the water appreciating the ‘Blue Mind’ it provides.
At the end of that first mission, J gave me a blue marble. He told us to hold it at arm’s length and picture the Earth from billions of miles away—our one and only home. The instruction was simple: take that marble and gift it to someone as a token of gratitude. I’ve since passed on hundreds, each gifted to me by J on one of the dozen Force Blue projects we worked on together.
When I heard of J’s death, I looked at the last blue marble he had given me. I thought, what a shame that this will be the last I ever receive from him, and the last I’ll ever give. J may have given away a million of those marbles, reminding people of the challenging, seemingly insurmountable task ahead, but also that we are all in it together. He lived and breathed that dedication, both into Force Blue and into my own life.
I am not J. I don’t always make every moment about inspiring people to save this world we share. But on the mornings I do remember to brush my teeth, I remember his message. I can hand out another marble, walk another kilometer, and carry forward what we had in J, and what we still have in his mission.
