I took my husband to the New England Aquarium yesterday – the first time I’d been there since the 1980’s. The penguins were the first thing I saw, then the sea lions, then the big center tank and the smaller ones on the outside walls surrounding it. Aquatic life – in fresh, salt, and brackish water – comes in such variety and beauty, and it’s breathtaking. The plaques informing guests how much of that life is endangered are breathtaking as well.

While we took it all in, two divers were busy cleaning the center tank with brushes and a vacuum. Another was wading in the penguin habitat, sucking algae and poop off its bottom. Without constant cleaning and maintenance, the residents would sicken and die – something else that was noted on a plaque.

Rescuing injured mammals, breeding programs for fish in danger of extinction, releasing to the wild those who can survive and taking good care of the ones that cannot: it’s cleaning up a mess humans have made. It isn’t glamorous work; it’s physically demanding as well as a strenuous research endeavor. Both are necessary.

It’s a life lesson for me. I can’t escape the sheer physical work of leaving the planet in better shape than when I arrived on it. I also can’t dodge the necessity of the learning side of it. Not all my time, perhaps not even the majority of my waking hours, can be spent on my own hobbies and interests. Life, and life more abundant, requires something more of me than a spare thought, a half-hearted effort, and a symbolic gesture.

For more on this, visit the New England Aquarium via website – or in person! www.neaq.org.