The San Diego Zoo: the world-renowned playground for animals, both familiar and exotic. Transporting the guests into a fairy tale land of wolves who play with sea lions and panda bears who live next door to polar bears, the infamous and extensive neighborhood of animals is not only delightful but incredible. One day's sunlight is simply not enough to wonder at the stalwart silverback gorilla, the African spotted cheetah, the wild warthogs, the 1-million bees making honey, and the koalas before spending time feeding and caressing the Barbary sheep and lambs in the kids' petting zoo. It is a bit surreal to be able to traverse the globe in less than 8 hours.
But, in all honesty, it is the history of the zoo that left me agog. As he passed through Balboa Park, located in the heart of San Diego, local surgeon Harry Wegeforth heard the roar of a lion. All of a sudden, clarity struck him, proposing that he build a zoo right there, right next to the urban landmark. Lucky for him, his prosperity afforded him the opportunity to invest in such a pursuit, and the birth of the San Diego Zoo was scheduled for 1917, one year later. Tireless and relentless in his fundraising efforts, he successfully created a historic landmark, a must see for Americans who were still acclimating themselves to the latest craze: the car. As always, allow me to draw parallels. All around technology was changing the world. Ford had barely begun manufacturing cars in assembly line fashion, the phone was changing the world with dialing capabilities, the "flapper era" was well underway. Then, in the midst of the natural world, the San Diego Zoo was born. Need I explain the irony? When we tune in to silence-- avoiding the noise of society--imagination strikes. Clarity comes. We are most capable of changing the world when we pay attention to it. After all, it is when we attend to His creation that we are most useful.