Photo credit: Joe McKenna

Gray whales migrate past Southern California every year and of course 2014 is no exception. In fact, gray whale sightings recorded by the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project during December were the highest in 30 years! On January 14th they spotted 37 gray whales in one day.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to see a whale, this is definitely the time to go whale watching. Or if you’re having trouble sticking to your resolutions, gray whales can also serve as a great source of inspiration.

I realized this one day as I was staring at an angry fitbit and thinking…10,000 steps a day, give me a break! Then I remembered that gray whales migrate 10,000 to 14,000 miles each year.

With this new perspective, my 10,000 steps a day seem pretty paltry. For me, 10,000 steps equates to about five miles, which means if I managed to achieve my goal every day that would get me to 1,825 miles for the year. Compared to a gray whale, that’s nothing!

Now I look at my fitbit and grin and bear it. Surely, if gray whales manage to swim up to 14,000 miles each year, I can handle walking five each day. Sometimes I even imagine sharing this conversation with a gray whale and wonder…if they could roll their eyes, would they?

For more fun facts about gray whales, check out my post Gray Whales: on the road again.