a tour around the world

It has been several years since I have been to the zoo. Therefore, it's been several years since I have seen the red-butt monkeys, the tiny lazy lemurs, the oversized rhinocerouses that waddle into and out of their miniature wading pool as if they are frozen in a haze of boredom. And, the last time that I saw giraffes sprinting was in the Lion King. I felt like I had stepped into Simba's world when I took the kids to the zoo today. It was a fabulous trip.

For the first time, I was the host of the trip to the zoo. It was me who carried the home-made sandwiches and petit biscuits (little cookies), the waterbottles with squirt tops so that multiple people can drink from the same bottle. It was me that pushed little Domino in the stroller from giant yellow pythons to hungry elephants trying to snag a little lunch with their trunk from the woven basket full of straw hanging over their heads. I watched the kids play on the playground in the center of the zoo, and enjoyed their laughter as they ran up and down the uneven slides.

Sometimes, I am amazed at how much energy kids actually have. They expend unheard of amounts of energy just to grow, but they always seem to have more energy than everyone else. I felt like a zombie when we returned home. I had spent several hours wandering the sun scorched dirt paths of the mini animal planet. But, as exhausted as I felt, the kids and I had a blast. I loved watching them scream and yell for me to "hurry up, Hannah! Look!" or for them to laugh and joke about the animals they see.

As if the zoo wasn't enough, I had the once in a lifetime pleasure of meeting the old dame who lives just at the top of the mountain, "next door" to us. Her name is Janneine and she has the most elaborate crystal blue eyes of anyone you have ever met. She, along with her two visiting friends from Singapore (they are French, but they have lived in, Singapore for 15 years), joined us for a roasted lamb and layered vegetable tartine dinner, followed by a lightly sweetened flan and poached peach dessert (of course there were several cheeses in between, as it is the French way).

Have you ever met someone and just KNEW that they had a story to tell? Have you ever just wanted to know someone? That's how I feel about the 86-year old woman. She spends her days either reading or gardening with her rounded straw hat and rolled up polyester pants. I asked Laetitia if I could visit her, and of course I am welcome to climb the mountain any time. I am so intrigued by people who have a smile that somehow slightly exposes their contagious sense of adventure which, in turn, practically invites others to ask them for their story. Janneine has something to say. I am hoping for the opportunity to hear, even if just a little bit.

The world is so full of people who have something to say, but no one to say it to. I am full of words, I know, but I want to be full of grace as well. I am learning how to sit and listen without having to respond. I certainly learn more with my ears than I do with my mouth open. As the old saying goes, "ears open, mouth shut."