a little joy

Happy Thursday!

I homeschool my daughter (this is our first year of two--hopefully). Because we both love animals and we are so fortunate to live near D.C., I signed her up for the once-a-week homeschool program at the National Zoo (https://nationalzoo.si.edu/). 

U.S.-born Bei Bei before he left for China https://nationalzoo.si.edu/

Well, I knew my daughter would love it, but I didn't realize it would turn into something that's so restorative for me. As wives, spouses, parents--we all do a lot for others. We make plans with others in mind; what will make them happy. 

I'd heard the idea of doing something "just for you" everyday. Well, that's not likely to happen when there's laundry, exercise, cooking, prepping for dance, driving to dance, waiting at dance, and (oh yeah) maybe some cleaning. It's easy for me to turn that into eating something "because I deserve it" or "it's been a tough day". Much less if I open a bottle of wine...

The National Zoo, if you haven't been there, is a big, long hill. Great for walking. Big cats at the bottom, pandas at the top, and my beloved elephants in between (along with a wolf, great apes, and so much more).

Amur tiger https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
Their habitat has so reduced, they're no longer
Siberian tigers as they only exist in the Amur River Valley. 

Seeing these precious animals every week is such a gift. I have two hours to walk and check in (they're starting to feel like my friends). I'm wondering if Coby the wolf recognizes me? Moki the two year old ape and his little kid antics. All of the seven amazing elephants--their keepers love them and are happy to share details of their unique personalities and quirks. 

Spike during elephant outpost demonstration https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
All of the elephants know a lot of actions necessary to check their health.
Spike was happy to show his foot on command (and some yummy food).

Today it's going to rain a lot. So to brighten my day and hopefully yours, I'm sharing a few of my photos.

Cirrus and Orion (alpacas) https://nationalzoo.si.edu/ My daughter is alpaca crazy right now.
She likes to point out that many of the llamas popular on clothes right now are actually alpacas. 

Rose (standing), Willow, and Maggie https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
at the Kids Farm (sometimes we can pet them).

What do you do (ever) that's just for you? Something that doesn't feel like an obligation. I know we all get a lot of joy from taking care of others, but it's really important to remember we deserve a little joy on a regular basis that's all ours.