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