I was sitting in the dentist office earlier today, waiting for my annual check-up. I brought along some of my own books to read whilst I sat and waited. And waited some more....

My eyes had grown tired, so I looked up to give them some rest. I've just purchased new eye glasses and my eyes haven't grown accustom to the strength. So I looked up and glanced around the room to to give them some rest. As I was scouring the room, I noticed a National Geographic magazine sitting wide open in an used chair. It must had been open from yesterday business seeing how it was 8:00 am and I was suppose to be the first patient on the register. Anyhow, I seized the opportunity as my gain. I'm a poor college student, working on my graduate degree, so needless to say gaining the opportunity to read a National Geographic [for free] is a "bonus luxury". When I picked up the magazine, the pages shown happened to jump out at me from the vibrant colors flowing, between the pages seen. I tucked my index finger in [to bookmark the page] when I shut it closed to carry it over to my seat too read. I was pleasantly surprised when I reopened it, for I was viewing creatures I had not ever heard of or seen. The beautiful, bright colors were of an ocean creature called the Nudibranch. The slug like creatures are distant cousin to the snails. From what I read, it appears that these "snails" had shed their shells some two million years ago.

The Nudibranch, like the clear, purple and royal blue Portuguese Man o'War, are poisonous creatures that can live up to a mile under the ocean's swell. Even though it might be tempting to make them into a tasty "Nudibranch on the barbie" grilled dish. I wouldn't suggest it for human consumption. Their colourful rough, abrasive skin is full of toxins that in fact lets other ocean wildlife know they are poisonous.

As I sat there and read the article, I began to think of all the different creatures that make up the wildlife in the ocean. I thought of the fond memories I've shared with my family on the white sandy beaches of Sanibel Island, South Beach, Florida and our stays in Carlsbad, California. I thought how different the Atlantic Ocean looks from the shores of Maine, compared to the shores of South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. I wonder what made them so different from the sea shore of Bandon, Oregon to the Island of Catalina. But each place, each new adventure, each beach is so uniquely different from it's neighbor. I can't imagine a world without the bold riches of a tourqise bay or the sensational sea green of a lagoon. As humans sharing this world, we forget what treasure grows among us in the deep, deep dark blue seas. The worlds oceans are teaming with vivid life sources, that only can be appreciate through the lens of the naked eye. So why do we then pollute our oceans with toxic oil, gas, fumes and trash? What makes a person so blind to what I can see, that they so freely dump their trash, medical waste, you name it into our river ways, beaches, lakes and ponds. Why do humans no longer look to these resources as the elixir of life? Without our oceans, there would be no life. Without the creatures that make up the deep, there would be no reasons. No reasons to write hubs to share among my fellow man. When I saw these pictures I thought to myself, not even Picasso could have imagine lighting up a canvas, in such a way, as nature can. When certain animals or sea creatures become existent, what could possibly take their place? How will we ever find such amazing wildlife, surviving among us, that offer such delectable color palettes? So the next time you're at a beach, don't liter and be another abusiver liver. Been kind to our enviroment and pick up some trash on your own.