My INFJ Dolphin Story:
About 18 years ago, I was very fortunate to be able to swim with dolphins at a marine mammal research and education facility on Key Largo. They have a lot of programs there, including dolphin therapy -
interjecting at this point: This is something I dreamed of having as a career, but my life didn't end up going in that direction -
where dolphins interact with children with developmental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities.
This facility only provided "free" dolphin swims. Not cost free, but by free it means the dolphins are free to come and go as they please, are not made to interact with anyone, or otherwise made to behave in any particular way. Any interaction is solely by the dolphins' choice.
There were about 10 of us in my group. We got our orientation, explaining dolphin body language and "polite" behavior, etc. and then got in the water. I'm comfortable in the water, can tread water for ages, but I'm not what you'd call a strong swimmer.
Several dolphins came in and started checking us out. Amazing amazing AMAZING feeling being "scanned" by a dolphin's echolocation... I swear it was like the faintest raindrops on my skin, or like the very first time my babies kicked in my womb. Needless to say, the group was in one section of the tank, and I by default drifted to the farthest corner from it. A few dolphins swum by, and then headed over to the main group of people. They started bringing toys to the people, balls and bumpers and things and interacting with them.
Then a dolphin swam very slowly to within about 10' of me, sounding me. I was overcome, filled with adrenaline and so fearful she'd feel this surge and avoid me. She didn't. She came closer and closer. One of the guides came to the edge of the platform and encouraged me to swim in long straight lines, so I did. And she came closer and closer and swam with me. I spent most of this time in continuous eye contact with her. Then she rolled over so her belly was facing me, and I froze. Seriously. I was so stunned to be offered this trust that I couldn't even reach out to touch her. She rolled back over and looked at me, turned completely around and looked at me with her other eye.
Then our time was up.
The guide walked back to the lab with me, telling me that that dolphin had picked me out specifically, hadn't been interested in anyone else (all the really playful outgoing dolphins stayed with the main group) and asked me why I didn't stroke her when she asked me to (offered her belly).
I told him I had been overcome by awe, and so honored, and felt so much... less, somehow, than her, that I thought it would have been disrespectful to touch her.
That remains to this day one of the most moving and enlightening experiences of my life, and one of the very few regrets I have... that I didn't recognize that touching her would have been allowed, and welcome.
