I just finished reading this heartwarming book, The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell. It’s the author’s true story of rescuing an oil-soaked Magellan penguin from a beach in Paraguay and subsequentially keeping it as a pet and school mascot. The two become the best of friends and illustrate the magical bond that can sometimes develop between wild animals and humans, defying the rules of nature and proving that there is so much more beneath the skin and bone, something deeper that connects us and crosses the barriers of language and species.
I LOVE PENGUINS.
They are one of my favorite animals. My family has always had an affinity for birds and there is a really good story to go along with this which I will someday need to write, but not today. For today I will only say that I have always considered the bird a sort of spirit animal, but I could never choose any one species. Penguins would definitely make the top of the list though. I love that they mate for life and take turns sitting on the egg. And like me, they are flightless birds that love to swim and prefer to live on the beach.
My penguin visits DC.
The featured photo is a picture I took at Boulders Beach near Cape Town, South Africa. Two very cute penguin partners sharing a romantic stroll on the beach. My partner and I both fell in love with penguins after visiting this beach and started referring to each other as “my penguin.” Just outside the gate to the reserve we bought two little penguin statues made of metal. We keep them in our medicine kit so that no matter where we go, and especially when we travel apart, we always have our penguin. Often I will snap a photo of my mini penguin in front of a monument and post it to let him I know I am thinking of him and he is always with me.
‘What makes you happy, then Maria?’
‘Oh, my children and my family make me happy, and my friends. Growing things makes me happy. Flowers on the tomatoes and the swelling fruit. The hens, the pigs and the goats make me happy. My work makes me happy too.’ She paused and then said, ‘Growing older with the people I love makes me happy.’
I considered this profound statement for a moment and then asked, ‘Do penguins make you happy, Maria?’ and looked at Juan Salvado, walking along with us, drinking in the conversation.
She laughed out loud. ‘Oh, yes, penguins make me very happy.’
Magic 16/365, Boulders Beach, South Africa, April 2016
