The Mindful Migraine

The internet is a weird and wonderful place, no doubt about it. The other day when I was on Tumblr I read a fantastic post about a fish-doorbell. Yep, you read that correctly. In the Netherlands they have lots of canals, and on those canals they also have ‘locks’ which open and close to allow, or block, the flow of water through that point, presumably helping to maintain appropriate water levels throughout the rest of the canal.

When the locks are closed, the fish can’t get through. So someone clever created a fish doorbell. And no – the fish don’t ring the doorbell (which is what I first thought) – WE DO! Under the water is a camera which live-streams the view in front of the lock. You watch the video and when you see a fish cruising around in front of the blocked door, you ring the doorbell, and someone in the Netherlands is alerted that there are fish waiting on the other side. They open the door, and wooshka! the fish can move on through.

When I looked up the site for myself, there were 759 other people watching sediment floating past a vacant camera, all waiting for the opportunity to ring the bell.

Here’s the site: The fish doorbell (visdeurbel.nl)

And here’s a YouTube that explains how it works: Het Visdeurbel Journaal

When you push the doorbell, it takes a photo for the people in the Netherlands (so if you hit it for no reason, they won’t come running). Here’s some of the happy-snaps from the underwater camera they have on their site, so you can see why I thought the sea-beasties were ringing to come in!

I absolutely LOVE this idea – but I also feel a little conflicted about it.

What is so great about it, is that this is a fantastic example of community spirit on a global level – everyone, everywhere, pitching in to do their part. What I feel a little bit sad about, is that there’s nearly one thousand people waiting to push a button to save one little fishy when there are so many – dare I say it – more pressing issues in the world right now.

Don’t get me wrong – Go Fish! Swim like your life depends on it; I’ll push that button if I happen to be there, no problems.

On the other hand, maybe we can get together and think of digital buttons, tied to live streams of a different sort, that can save more than a few fish at a time. I’m not sure what for exactly… well, I can think of a few things, but I’m not sure that I would enjoy watching them take place on livestream… so I guess that’s a problem.

On the upside – take heart that the world really is a wonderful place, and 759 people believe it’s worth their time to help a fish.

Take care, Linda x

PS – I was going to leave it at that, but I can’t help myself. Call me crazy, but now that I know about our pushy-button human instinct, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to try something out. So, I’m going to put an affirmation that I use down below, and under it, I’ll put one of WordPress’s widget-gidget-gadget-thingies: the ‘applause’ button (hopefully it’s compatible with most viewers – otherwise you might have to open this post in the web-version). Read the affirmation, and if it resonates with you, hit the clap button – once, twice, more (if it lets you). Let’s see if we can’t turn human instinct into a tool for encouraging each other to create healthier happier lives for ourselves and our loved ones. I’d love to see 759 (?!) claps… but I’ll take 75… even 7 will suggest there’s a few likeminded people out there! Curious? Let’s see what happens, shall we team?

I am strong and kind.
I strive to improve myself and the planet.
I will always support and celebrate anyone and everyone who is trying to keep going and keep growing.