A Moment of Magic: How Seeing a Whale Confirmed My Journey of Self-Love

Today, I saw a whale and you have no idea how long I’ve been hoping for this moment. Watching a whale jump out of the ocean, even from a distance, is always an incredible experience, but today, it was particularly significant for me.

I’m lucky to live in a home that has an ocean view. It's something I never take for granted. Each day, I look out at the ever-changing scenery and feel a sense of peace and gratitude. The ocean has always brought me a sense of healing.

It was around this time last year that the whale migration season began. Every time someone visited me—whether it was my best friend Gemma, my mum, my daughter or one of the many friends I had over for a Sunday BBQ—they would always spot a whale breaching. "WHALE!" they’d scream. I’d quickly spin my head around, wait for the whale to make its second jump, and miss it because I was either looking at the wrong patch of ocean or had given up and turned away just as it jumped again. It became a running joke; this went on for three whole months, and never once did I spot a whale.

Whales have always held special meaning in my life. I remember a day when Gemma, Kim (my other bestie), and I got together for a girls' lunch. During that meal, we confided in each other that our marriages weren't as picture-perfect as they seemed. Sadly, we had spent too long being inauthentic with one another about the realities of our relationships, choosing to put on brave faces and lie to each other because we were also lying to ourselves. That day, as we sat and talked for hours, we bonded like never before and found comfort in sharing our burdens.

Walking home from lunch along Bondi Beach, we spotted three whales breaching. We squealed with delight and had tears in our eyes, realizing the significance: those three whales were a sign from the universe, letting us three girls know that everything was going to be okay.

Now, let’s circle back to last year as whale season was nearing its end. Intuitively, I knew that my frustration at never being able to spot these whales (when everyone else was doing it so effortlessly) was the universe's way of telling me I still had work to do on myself. It wasn't going to show me a whale or let me know that everything was going to be ok, until I had done that.

Last year, I entered the dating world, and if you ever want to shine a light on where your life wounds lie, become a single gal—it will soon reveal them. All your insecurities and lack of self-love will be magnified before your very eyes. Even though I was living a brilliant life filled with travel, friends, and precious time with my daughter, there was a pit in my stomach, an aching anxiety, and an emptiness masked by my endless pursuit of distraction. Deep down, I knew that when I finally saw that whale, it would be a sign that I was finally ready to receive the one thing I felt was missing, a partner, true love!!

So, I ditched the nights out, and throughout autumn, I spent nearly every night working on myself. I read books on psychology, meditated, journaled, connected with nature, learned ALOT about myself and most importantly learned to love myself again. It wasn’t easy. Just when I started feeling good that feeling in my stomach would return a day or two later and the fear of always being alone would creep back. But I persisted and kept moving forward. Months went by and slowly I felt true progress was being made. Then, out of nowhere, the cloud lifted. I felt lighter, happier, content, and no longer had that sense that something or someone was missing from my life. I had given myself enough love to not need its supply from anywhere else.

I can’t explain the feeling fully, but it was a sense of trust and knowing that everything meant for me wouldn’t pass me by. When you reach that stage, you know it because it’s unwavering, free of doubt, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I knew I had finally gotten to where I needed to be. This isn’t to say I won’t have my bad days, that’s just a fact of life, but now I could feel a true shift inside of me.

We’re just two days into whale migration season, and it’s no coincidence that Gemma just happened to drop by for a cup of tea, as we hadn’t seen each other for a couple of weeks. As we sat on the couch catching up, she suddenly screamed, "WHALE!"

I stood there for a few minutes, waiting and watching. Sure enough, the whale jumped, just high enough for me to spot its beautiful, big black mass followed by an almighty splash. In that moment, I felt tears well up, it was confirmation from the universe, their way of saying, well done, you did it!!!! I can't remember the last time I felt that happy.

Seeing signs is such a beautiful feeling, and I’ll always remember that moment with a sense of pride and wonder, knowing the universe truly does work in mysterious ways, always sending you messages if you’re open to receiving them and to always trust it is working for our higher good.

J xx