Mothering 'Winter' as her Tale is Told

“Put face close” is a term researchers sometimes use to describe the behavior of a mother dolphin and its baby. The baby puts its face close to the mother to watch, learn… and be sheltered. Observing this in local waters is priceless.

Our local dolphin celebrity, Winter, is not a baby any more. But she may need mothering now more than ever. We’ve all watched too many human celebrity children hit the rough waters of national stardom and then fall victim to the cruel scrutiny of public attention.

I’m convinced that Winter’s amazing recovery and triumph is a result of all the love that was showered on her after her arrival at . We mothered her. She was truly blessed to find her way here from the other coast after losing her mother. We “put face close” and she has been paying it forward ever since.

The real story of Winter, her survival and the public embrace of her mission to pay it forward has a spiritual value that transcends box office receipts and media stardom. Her story is a spiritual journey more than a commercial enterprise. 

As the wave of public attention builds and then washes over Winter and Clearwater, let’s “put face close” once again, be grateful that her story is being told all over the world, and careful that all the attention doesn’t throw her, or us, off course.