Take Time

It seems to have become a tradition, that each Summer, my sister and I take our kids to the zoo. It is something we look forward to each year. Yesterday was our grand adventure.

We started out early, and were lucky enough to have a few clouds to keep out the out the heat of the sun. Everyone helped out by taking turns being a buddy to a little one. One of the favorite sights were the elephants. There were 2 adults and 1 new baby. They seemed happy to perform tricks to get apples and dried bread. One liked to spray water, and the baby did a head stand in the water! What show-offs!

We also enjoyed the bird show, the giraffes, the monkeys, and the tigers.

There was a new attraction with animated dinosaurs. The little kids didn't like them very much, and stayed as far away as possible. The dinosaurs made loud roaring noises, and some even sprayed water. Branson was the only one willing to get close for me to take a picture.

 Lessons learned:

As our day came to an end, we made a final pass through the gift shop. As we were paying for our purchases, a thunderstorm began. At first we decided to wait for it to blow over before going to our cars. But then we decided to make a dash for it. We each grabbed a little one to run to the cars. I had Kyle's hand as we headed for the parking lot. When we reached the curb we spotted a puddle. I told him to jump. Being the 5 year old that he is...he jumped right in the puddle! I laughed out loud! Okay, so I didn't specifically tell him to jump OVER the puddle, so the bad instructions were my fault. Which made me laugh more. I wanted to jump in with him, but knew we needed to hurry on.

So here is my lesson learned: You probably think the lesson would be about giving better instructions, but it's not. Watching Kyle jump in the puddle, reminded me of all the times my kids would see a big rainstorm hit. Their eyes would widen as they squealed with excitement. Then all three of them would run outside and dance and jump in the rain puddles. I love to watch them as they giggle over their silliness, and I try to take memorable pictures. But I realized that I have never danced in the rain with them. I watched the fun, but I didn't join in.

So as I ponder the events of this zoo adventure, I never want to forget the moral to this story: Always take time to jump in the puddles! And even better...Share it with someone you love!