It’s been a long tough year financially for us, and I know we’re not alone. Up until last year, I would get some money for my birthday and I would use it toward the purchase of zoo passes for my boys and I. This year, it wasn’t until just now we could afford them so we’re making up for lost time. I just posted about our trip to Richmond Metro Zoo here. Take a look!
I’ve been studying and reading, praying and listening to the Lord and His Word a lot. Currently I am also reading a couple of business books as well as taking a creatively inspired online class with a couple of friends. It’s a lot all at once, it keeps my mind is busy and my heart full. Who would think that a stroll through the zoo would draw so much of it altogether on one path?
There’s Danger at the zoo!
Yes, there’s danger at the zoo, but can you spot it?
It totally cracks me up that my oldest is not a fan of the emu. An emu? Taking these photos they came strutting their stuff. A big hand on my shoulder pulled me back, “Mom, he’s going to peck your head off!” I don’t think so, yet, he was quite calculated in his direction which happened to be straight for me. Glad there was a fence there, and that I’m shorter than it is tall!
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Large chunks of wood are missing from these scarce wooden fences. Came’s have some strong teeth! Again, I have an idea for a photo (I do love it!) but I forged with a bit of trepidation. These beauties (I believe their name actually means beauty-insert the old adage, beauty is the eye of the beholder here) weren’t behind any plexiglass, and, well, neither was I. Did you know that these guys can drink around 40 gallons of water in no time flat? I didn’t, but I do know about them spitting the yucky green and smelly contents of their first stomach when they’re upset. And THAT upset me just a tad; it would be gross, of course, but my camera may not recover from such a spit. Even so, I really wanted this picture. Thankfully, this guy didn’t seem to mind. Close one!
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What’s the Texas team motto? Hook ’em Horns? Probably has nothing to do with a rhino 😉 but it’s easy to see the danger with these big guys. Up close and personal? NO, thank you!
Doesn’t she look harmless? So sweet! We love, Zoe and she and her exhibit mate, Farley (seen below) love us. We do spend a lot of time with them. Like all primates, they can’t swim. I’m in no way comparing my husband to a primate (NO, really I am not), but I can understand this phenomenon because until I married him, I’d never seen anyone sink in the pool. He does. In the deep end and straight to the bottom no matter how I try to teach him to swim, it only goes well if he can stand chest up out of the water. As we observe the orangutans (oranguTAN, by the way, not the often mispronounced orangutANG) and the chimps, we forget there’s danger at the zoo for them. One step into the water and they’ll be joining the Bumble Snow Monster from Rudolph. Remember how he dropped over the edge and sank in the frozen lake? I’d hate to witness that!
Oh, and just because most of us think there’s more danger in the next picture than there usually is, I’ll throw it in. My little guy wanted to kill it. But he wasn’t doing any harm. Plus, the pictures, remember?
EEEK! (Sorry!)
Even more difficult to see is any danger at the zoo when encountering these majestic animals. Each so different from the next, but so similar. What could be a danger to them? Each other! The zookeepers are often juggling them around based on who isn’t getting along and who might need a time out. I bet it’s no easy transfer, and I’d love to be there for it one time. Oh, if I could talk to the animals!
I saved the best for last. In the middle of all our fun, I told the boys to walk down the path until I told them to turn back and look at me. How would I have known they would both do the same thing at the same time?
Where’s the danger? If you look closely you’ll see M’s lanyard swinging in the motion of their quick turn-around. This photo is a split second before N’s short arm hit and knocked that big cup of drink sending it smashing to the ground in pieces. It was HILARIOUS! To me. Thankfully they both saw the humor in the incident only a minute or so later, but as I have told you, there’s danger at the zoo! 😉
The more I study and read, the more it upsets my heart to see the danger in what people are saying. If you’re a Christian-you know the Lord-it’s all and only His Word that is truth. We have to know His Word! Scary to see just how much in common both popular women in the Christian realm and in the secular — even atheist circles- are saying. There are two big commonalities: 1. Their words resonate with our lives and their sound feels good to us, and 2. Their words are mixed with truth. So, what’s the danger? It’s in what we can’t see. When we can’t see the mixed in separately from solid truth, THE Truth-it’s more danger to us than any of these animals would ever be in. Without the confines of the zookeepers nourishing the animals, making them clean, and establishing boundaries where they have no choice but to not cross out of the safety of loving care, the animals would be in imminent danger of their lives, but they wouldn’t know it until it was too late.
I Peter 5:8 (good chapter to read fully)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
