It's Shark Week!

(This blog was originally posted on August 10, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

                I am not a fan of sunbathing on the beach or swimming in the sea, but I am an avid supporter of preserving the ocean and the animals that live in these waters. I admit that part of my reticence about playing in the surf stems from a primitive fear of the creatures that live in the deep ocean water. Perhaps the blockbuster film, Jaws, which is based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel, feeds my anxiety about encountering a great white shark. But every summer since 1988, the Discovery Channel® broadcasts a week’s worth of documentaries about sharks called “Shark Week.” Over the years it has become a popular, even a celebrated, event. A few years ago, one of their advertising campaigns incorporated modified lyrics from the popular holiday song, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” to promote the annual event. Indeed, it is.

                Some nail salons offer ocean- or shark-themed manicures to celebrate Shark Week. Lady Di’s Cookie and Sweets boutiques sell a shark-week themed cupcake that features a frothy-sea frosting design, topped off with a blue gummy “shark” candy. In some cases, fans of this annual shark festival get together with friends and family to watch the week-long series, a la Super Bowl celebrations.

                In addition to nail-biting videos of great white sharks launching themselves out of the water to attack an unknowing seal and the requisite programs about shark-human encounters, the documentaries also provide tips to survive such an encounter. In addition, many of these shows also includes facts about other animals—fish and mammals—that share the water and even the over-all health of the world’s oceans. Let’s not forget the cute icon of a fin sliding across the bottom of the television screen followed by a great white taking a big bite out of the Discovery Channel® logo or the new design—a burst of fireworks in the shape of Great White sharks—before and right after a commercial break. Those are great.

If you want to indulge your wild side, join me in virtually swimming with the sharks this week. Shark Week is really a lot of fun to watch and educational. With the Super Bowl still about six months away, this is an annual event that you can really sink your teeth into.

Happy Shark Week!

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

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