The Creatures in Our Lives

Character is like pregnancy. It cannot be hidden forever.” – African Proverb

When we went to the Oakland Zoo this past week, they had this incredibly creative display of the animals that are native to the area. With a shout-out to the Silicon Valley vibe, they classified them as different characters.

The Influencer: I think these might be crows in my neighborhood in Seattle.

The Engineer: This nails it for the raccoons in my neighborhood.

The Creative: We have coyotes in Seattle as well and it always surprises me how they can adapt to a big city.

The Free Spirit: We have a lot of wild bunnies in our neighborhood and I think they might be our free spirits.

The Foodie: I think the foodies in Seattle might be the Sea Lion. We had a famous one named Herschel who liked to park himself next to the fish ladder to get a parade of snacks that just lined up for him.

Do you have these animals or characters like these in your neighborhood?

(all photos are mine from the Oakland zoo)

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Pass the Sniff Test

When people show you who they are, believe them.” – Maya Angelou

I started this morning by apologizing at 5:15am. The cat was wending her way around my ankles as I fed her and I accidentally stepped on her little soft paw. It caused her to yowl and me to let loose with a stream of apologies.

It brought back a memory of a guy that I went on a handful of dates with after I got divorced. One time we went snowshoeing but had to drive farther than planned to find snow. When we returned a couple of hours later than expected, I knelt at the front door, ruffled my beloved dog’s fur and apologized to him.

The date, standing behind me said, “Never apologize to an animal.” I turned thinking he must be joking but he wasn’t that funny – and he wasn’t joking.

If we can’t apologize to our animals that depend on us for their well-being, never lecture in return and love us anyway, who can we apologize too?

So I didn’t go out with the guy again. No apology necessary. 😊

Anyone else have an example of a sniff test?

(featured image is mine)