We Worked At A Zoo

When done right, a zoo can be a wonderful place!  And I'm fortunate enough to say that I once worked at such an establishment...

Before I left for China, I worked at The Kansas City Zoo.  And I loved it!  And then I made a video about it, which I'm dedicating to my friends there.  We shared in some great memories and fun together!

Press Play & Enjoy!

And since it's on my mind, have you seen the movie, We Bought A Zoo?  I found it to be an inspiring story and very well written!  The themes throughout the movie are quite powerful and dynamics between the characters are great...

There's loss and love, joy and sorrow, adventure and new beginnings, hardship and passion, hope and romance.  It's all there!  And it was easy to relate to the characters as I reflected upon my own life and journey.  So if you haven't yet, you need to see this movie.

Here's My Favorite Quote:

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery.  And I promise you, something great will come of it."

And lastly, I wanted to mention that while I was in Singapore, I was able to visit the zoo there.  It's considered one of the best zoos in the world and I've gotta say, it was impressive.

(This is my favorite monkey and yes, I can sound just like them!)

The entire zoo is designed in such a way that you don't notice the caging around the animals.  Everything is very open.  But in some locations, this unique feature can be a bit dangerous... like when you're walking on the bridge above the crocodiles.  The railing's there, but it's nothing special.  It wouldn't be at all difficult to accidentally fall in with them!

But thankfully, should this happen, there are life-preservers available above.  That way, if one gets thrown to you, it will take longer for the crocs to eat you, thus ensuring your chances of survival.

Just make sure they start with feet first, yeah?

So all that to say...
I enjoyed my time at The Kansas City Zoo!
I'll never forget it.
 

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The Real You

So I just listened to this song, "Breathe Me" by Sia.  Have you heard it?  I found it to be beautiful and sad, artful and filled with emotion.  But most of all, I found it to be real.

This song is vulnerable, honest, and authentic.  She seems to be crying out for help.  I love it when an artist is able to identify with their own pain and struggle.  And here's the thing ... there's something about this that we all feel and know and can relate to.  Whether or not it's this song, a scene from a particular movie, a passage of your favorite book, or something else, we know it's there - something beneath the surface.  Something truer than we're comfortable exploring.  It is so important that we come to a place of genuine self-awareness. 

But let's be honest: this isn't fun.  This isn't relaxing.  Many of us are afraid of what we will find if we spend too much time looking inwardly.  So instead, we'd rather hide behind a busy schedule, a hobby, and our addiction to Facebook ... anything that will suppress the truth of who we really are or at least numb the pain for a few more moments.  Some get lost in video games.  Others with the party scene.  Still others with a career path or a relationship.  Heaven forbid we actually spend any substantial amount of time having a quality conversation about something real.

We are afraid of what others will think.  Too much risk is involved.  Maybe they'll let us down or worse.  So instead, we put up our guard and build our castles.  But what do we do with our unanswered questions?  What about the pain?  That inward sadness?

In the song, the girl seems to surface just long enough to get a few words out before diving back into the abyss of her false-self (the person that everyone knows her to be).  But how long can she hold her breath?  After all, we can only go so long without breathing and one thing's for certain ... it will kill us all to live a disingenuous life.

It will always be easier to lie about who we are and how we're doing than to be real with ourselves and others.

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