California coastline always holds this glamourous perception, but I wanted to see the real life of La Jolla, and specifically the real life of the La Jolla sea lions. Visiting La Jolla Cove has been something definitely on my bucket list. I was in San Diego recently with my family for a special wedding. We enjoyed the beautiful wedding on Friday night, and first thing Saturday morning, we ventured to the Cove. Pictures can’t capture the awe and wonder like when you are finally there in person! It was just jaw-dropping to see these magnificent animals sleeping, wrestling and just hanging out. What you can’t “feel” from these pictures is the noise of the sea lions roaring and barking loudly! Just imagine several trumpets going off at the same time!
I was fascinated by the huge groups of sea lions on the rocky shore taking a break from the ocean life. They are very social animals and don’t mind hanging out close together. In fact, I think they prefer it. Seriously, I sometimes couldn’t tell if there was a cluster of rocks, or if it was a cluster of sea lions. They blend in so beautifully with the landscape. It’s truly amazing to witness them in their natural habitat. They weren’t fazed by the birds or with all of us humans watching them. They were inspiring me to live my life like a sea lion, just do my thing without a care in the world.
A Special Real Life Moment with the La Jolla Sea Lions
We realized we could get even closer to the Sea Lions basking on the rocks. As we climbed the rocks, to our surprise, we saw a rare moment of momma Sea Lion with her newborn pup. They were still attached by the cord just after giving birth. We wanted to help her but knew nature would take its course. There it was, a real-life La Jolla moment. I could stay all day and watch, but I felt like momma wanted her privacy. She will be a great caregiver to her baby I’m sure. Did you know that baby sea lions memorize their momma’s bark? The barking all sounded the same to me, but even each sea lion is unique. This is their place, and we were just visiting.
I felt honored just to see this special moment and connect with the land and nature. When we ask, “Is There More To Life?” these are the moments we are looking for. The real moments that make up our lives.
story by JD, WhereGalsWander
