Character Type

I’ve got a question for you. When you watch a TV show, movie, read a book, or play a video game, what type of character do you gravitate towards? Think of all your favorite characters in all the stories you’ve encountered. What do they all have in common? Are they strong fighters? Are they clever planners? Maybe they’re brave in the face of fear? Or really good puzzle solvers? Is there something about them you admire? Do they have a flaw you can relate to? Perhaps they have a character trait you wish you had? Or maybe you like them simply because they’re funny?

I like to think the types of characters we like tell us a little bit about ourselves. For me, I always gravitate toward the number two. Each story has a main character. It’s all about their struggles, their overcoming, etc. etc. However, usually those main characters have a best friend or rival. Someone who doesn’t get the full spotlight, but plays a major role in the main character’s story and development. They’re usually the second person on the movie poster. For Captain Kirk, it’s Spock. For The Lone Ranger, it’s Tonto. For Monkey D. Luffy, it’s Roronoa Zoro. For Frodo, it’s Sam. You could consider all the sidekicks to super heroes in this category too. They’re a supporting character who has the main character’s back, and their whole relationship is based on a type of friendship whether its rivals to friends or duty leading to mutual respect and friendship.

Those are the types of characters I find myself favoring. They’re not the main character, but the story wouldn’t be the same without them.

So, how about you? What’s your favorite character type?

Regret’s Future

Why does regret come after the fact?

You start thinking of moments you can’t get back.

It’s not important until the opportunity is gone.

And we start wishing we would’ve seized it all along.

We wonder how we could’ve changed fate

But dwelling in the past is a dangerous place

Grief and doubt want to anchor you down

Tell you you’re lost. Never to be found

Whether a passing occurred or a mistake was made

They’ll hold you prison in a dark, dreary place

They hold you until your fire goes out

You can’t make a difference. You do nothing but pout

But the past is done. That’s all it is

A moment in time. It’s your choice to forgive

Hold your head up. It’s time to live

A new day means new choices

A time to rejoice

The past can only hold you if you give it that choice

So when the Darkness comes after the fact

In those moments you can’t take back

There’s lessons to be learned

A way to be better

For even regret can be a teacher

And guide you to a brighter future

Writing Prompt: Wildlife Spotting

Daily writing prompt
Do you ever see wild animals?
View all responses

I have the luxury of working at a zoo, so I see a lot of captive wild animals every day I work from giant tortoises to lowland gorillas. Yet, I always stay on the lookout for the native wildlife in my area. We get a lot of opossums and raccoons that will sometimes mess with our animals, and plenty of native birds that come to steal the meat we put out on exhibit for our animals.

So, there’s a lot of native wildlife that I get to see, but I have to share the coolest native wildlife sighting that happened to me a couple weeks ago.

I was working in my main routine at my zoo. It was projected to snow and my routine calls for a lot of time outdoors because you have to walk to the different animal buildings. I remember hearing these cries throughout the day that sounded so familiar. It was one of those where you know that sound, but you can’t quite place it or remember why you know it. I was walking from our tortoise building to our aviary when I heard it again. I turned in the direction of the cry with a scrunch on my face because–for the life of me–I couldn’t remember why I knew that sound. You know what I saw?

Two bald eagles.

Not one, but two wild bald eagle flew right over my head. They flew as low as the top of our tortoise building (which is shorter than your average tree), and I got to watch them fly off toward the horizon. I’ve taken care of a bald eagle before, and it wasn’t until I saw those two flying that I realized the cries I was hearing were similar to the ones I heard from our bald eagle. I rarely get to see wild bald eagles. So, seeing two flying over my head is definitely a memory I’m going to treasure.

Right afterwards, it started to snow.

Silence the Phone

Can I be honest about something? Lately, I’ve noticed I’ve been dreading the sound of my phone’s ring tone and text tone. Last night, I was wasting the night watching my favorite show. I was enjoying the goofiness and ridiculousness that occur in it and when I heard my phone go off, my smile disappeared. I felt anxiety like needle pricks on my shoulders and it traveled down my arms.

That’s when you really know you need a mental break.

I’ve known I needed one for a while. Tension and inconveniences have been getting to me more easily lately and things I used to enjoy aren’t so enjoyable anymore. Not to mention, I waste my nights in front of the tv more often now instead of going back to my hobbies and dreams. Which in turn makes me feel guilty about not working on my hobbies and dreams.

So, I decided to silence my phone for my weekend. The sound of it going off amped my anxiety, so I was going to spare myself that for my weekend. I’m not going to look at emails about bills or work. Not going to look at text messages from work or people wanting to hang out (I’m an introvert. I need several days notice to prepare myself for a hang out). I’m gonna take this time to free myself from anxiety, worry, and all the other ugly feelings trying to pull me down. And you know what?

It’s okay.

It’s okay to silence your phone for your weekend. It’s okay to take a mental break. It’s okay to not be there to answer somebody’s question. It’s okay to lighten your load.

So, if you’re finding yourself in a point like I’m at, I encourage you to take care of yourself. Give yourself an hour, a day, a weekend. Whatever you need to get your mind back in a better headspace and get your feet back on the ground. For me, it’s silencing my phone and I’m not going to think about what’s giving me anxiety and stress. Those thoughts are banned. If that’s what you need to do too, please do it. You’re worth it.

Happy December!

Welcome to the last month of 2023. No matter how your year is going, I hope you can finish off strong. Take a look back at those resolutions we made in January and see what we can cross off the list. I managed to check off half of my dreams for this year. As for the rest, some of them were halfway completed, so I’ll take that as a win.

Honestly, it’s been a pretty insane year. So much has happened. There’s been a lot of tears and a lot of causes for joy. So, similar to what I did last year, I wanted to make a list of the highs and the lows of this year. Coming into the last month, I think it’s important to see how the year’s gone, so you help push yourself into finishing strong. Feel good about what you’ve accomplished or achieved even if it’s accomplishing a little relaxation. Whatever you need to help make the end of the year a good one.

Feel free to share any of your highs and lows. Here’s mine:

January
High — Hired an editor for my novel
Low — Rejected by an agent I was really hoping for

February
High — Had a lot of fun enrichment days for the zoo animals
Low — Lost two of our zoo animals to old age

March
High — Hand fed a cheetah for the first time. Offered a full time zookeeper position!
Low — One of our cheetah’s passed away to renal failure

April
High — Start training cheetahs
Low — Got into a phone game app I thought was really cool only to quit because paying players buried my rookie butt into the ground

May
High — First time cheetah painting. Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom released!
Low — Another zoo animal lost to age

June
High — Attended a writing workshop!
Low — Go through the five stages of grief with editor’s feedback

July
High — New animals arrive at the zoo
Low — My best friend, the best cat in the world, passes away

August
High — Baby duiker born
Low — I totally forgot our cheetah’s birthday

September
High — Paid off my car loan. New animals arrive at the zoo!
Low — Felt very overloaded with stuff happening during the month

October
High — Things I can’t talk about!
Low — Other things I can’t talk about!

November
High — Finally killed a King Gleeok in Tears of the Kingdom
Low — The best dog in the world, my Boo Bear, passes away.

December is hopeful.

Beauty in the Weeds

Do you remember when you were a kid? Do you remember playing outside in the grass? Going to the playground of your school and creating flower bracelets, necklaces, and crowns with your friends? And because there were never any actual flower around, you used dandelions, clovers, and the little plant with the purple stems coming off it. You used weeds to make your little creations.

I remember doing that on the playground with my friends. I was never very good at weaving the weeds together, though. We’d have these beautiful crowns of yellow dandelions or clover bracelets. Those little weeds with the purple stems would hang from the necklaces we made like oversized jewels. We thought we were wearing the jewelry of fairies and elves back then.

But, eventually, you grow up. People tell you weeds are bad and your parents don’t want to see them in their yards. The grass loses a lot of color as people put down weed killer to keep a plain of green on their lawn and nothing else.

Winter is coming and when I look around, all I see is dormant plants and snow. The weeds that bring bright colors to the earth are waiting for the warmth of spring come out again. That’s definitely one of the reasons spring is my favorite season. The world comes back to life and color comes with it. It makes me smile seeing a yard of bright yellow dandelions. They’re like little suns saying hello.

As we got older, we lost the eye for beauty in the weeds. You’re told to keep them out of your yard. Told to keep the lawn green and crisp with grass when in reality biodiversity is better. The colors are better. The wishes held in the dandelions are better.

I’m dreaming of spring because I’m already tired of the cold, but I’d like to invite you when the world reawakes to look for the weeds and remember the beauty they bring.

Look for the Dream

A crowd of people
All different
Unique
Each one with their own tale
Each one different in how they think

An old man in a corner
Stares at a photograph
Thinking of days he can’t get back
Wishing for dreams that got off track

A girl at the counter
Pays for her meal
Wrestling with how she feels
And wondering if anything’s real

There’s a boy at the desk
Doodling pictures
Of monsters and heroes on great adventures
Dreaming someday, they’d be his ventures

The old man wanted love
He put career first
And let love slip away
Like the roll of a hearse

The girl dreams of success
The fame and spotlight
But anxiety and doubt
Stalk her every night

The little boy could make it
Could achieve his dream
So long as doodled monsters
Keep from their schemes

A dream can be found
In every soul
But as time abounds
It can grow frail and old

A dream can be lost or given up on
When situations can be heavy and long
Excuses creep in and lies start to whisper
You’re never enough. Career should come first.

Whatever the dream
Don’t keep it inside
Speak it out. Let it fly
It’s all up to you on if this dream dies

So, look for the dream
In yourself and in others
Keep tabs on each other
Ward off doubt when it smothers

A dream should not be pursued alone
But with an army of friends helping make it your own

I’m Thankful For…

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m a little glad it’s this time of year. I’ll be honest, it’s been a hard month, but I’m grateful for Thanksgiving and the reminder it offers.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what you have and be grateful for it. It’s a reminder to view the blessings in our life, to focus on the good, not the bad. Maybe you have one of those family traditions on Thanksgiving where you go around saying what you’re thankful for? What are you going to tell your family this year? You’re thankful for them? For the food on the table? Thankful to be alive?

When you take a moment to think about it, we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. In a universe where we don’t know if life exists elsewhere, our planet sustains us. We all get the beauty of the sunrises and the sunsets. Each of us gets the opportunity to live and have the will power to make our own choices. Sometimes, all you need is to look around at life and be grateful for the bare minimum. This breath and the next one.

I’m grateful for a lot. I have a family I can count on. I have an awesome job that a lot of people wish they could have. And, coworkers who give me grace when I show up late.

But, really thinking about it. I’m really thankful for the animal caretakers of the world. This week was hard for my team. We came together to make the decision to euthanize my favorite duck. His quality of life had declined. He could barely walk. I got to be there when we said goodbye along with several other members of my team. Several other members. The room was filled with tears because of a singular duck.

That just goes to show how much love animal caretakers put into their work. So much so, that the loss of a duck brings us to tears. A lot of people, if they saw us in that room, would’ve looked at us and said “it’s just a duck? So what?” Well, he was a very special duck and we had the honor of caring for him.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the caretakers who put their heart and a little bit of their soul into every animal they care for, no matter how big or how small.

Writing Prompt: Healing Song

What song helps you through the tough times? Or is there something else you do to brighten the rough days?

When life gets heavy for me, especially work life, I like to turn on the song I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz. The song is meant to be for romantic partners, but I apply it to my work. In case you don’t know, I’m a zookeeper. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, but it can be very hard especially if we have to make certain decisions for our animals.

So, I turn on this song to remind myself that even when the hurt/guilt/feelings of failure etc show up, I won’t give up because I love my job and the animals I care for.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics:

“When I look into your eyes, it’s like watching the night sky or a beautiful sunrise. Well, there’s so much they hold.”

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a one and a half year old monkey? Or a seventy year old tortoise? What about an eager-to-learn leopard? There’s plenty of stars and sunrises in those gazes.

The song continues:

“And just like them old stars, I see that you’ve come so far to be right where you are. How old is your soul?”

Maybe you’ve read some of my previous posts? Maybe you’ve followed my website since the beginning? If that’s the case, you know some of what it took for me to get to being a full time zookeeper. There was a lot of faith involved and taking a risk rather than playing it safe. So many tears were cried before I got here. I’m not going to waste this chance.

Then, the chorus:

“I won’t give up on us. Even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love. I’m still looking up.”

What’s currently going on is hard. There’s a lot of projects to be done. A lot of shifts to cover. We’re tired. We’re a little bitter. There’s discouragement in the day to day, and team members are isolating. Yet, when it all seems so heavy. When the skies look dark from here on out, I choose to not to give up. I choose to focus on making things better for the animals. To believe in hope that things will get better, because I do love what I do.

“And when you’re needing your space to do some navigating, I’ll be here patiently waiting. To see what you find.”

Everyone needs a chance to step back and look at the bigger picture of their life. Animals need a step back from training or change sometimes to see that they’re still in a safe place. The keepers that care for them are still positives in their life. I’m willing to wait for a pausing hoofstock to realize the corridor is safe or a monkey to see that I’m not forcing it to do anything, but encouraging it to participate. I care for my coworkers too and when they need a step back, I want to be someone who steps up for them. I may not always be good at it, but I try.

“Cause even the stars, they burn. Some even fall to the Earth. We’ve got a lot to learn. God knows we’re worth it. I won’t give up.”

We all burn out. We all have animals die. There’s so much to learn about animals, you have to work on everyday. The pain of losing an animal never goes away, and never gets easier. The risk is always there. The regret pounces on you right away, making you think you should’ve done something differently when you did all you could. But, the relationship with the animals. The chances to see them interacting with enrichment, feeling comfortable in their environment, training with them, and seeing them come to you because they trust you. That’s worth it. I like to think that the bigger the heartbreak you have when you lose an animal, then the bigger the difference you had done for that animal. Seeing these animals thrive is worth the difficulties of the job.

“I don’t want to be someone who walks away so easily. I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make.“

It’s easy to want to look for another job. To see the too many flaws that you believe can’t get fixed. To believe that there’s nothing left a place can teach you. Sometimes, you do have to get out. You have to walk away for your own sake. For your own dreams, but sometimes you can’t. I’m someone who hasn’t been at the same job for over two years. I don’t want to walk away from this one like I did the others, not when I know I can make a difference.

“Our differences, they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we got. Yeah, we got a lot at stake.”

No two members on my team are alike. We have a large variety of animals that we care for and each person on the team has their own preference. Some of us can use power tools while others cannot. Some have great maternal instincts with the baby animals while others do not. Some can get a gorilla to shift or have good technology skills. We’re not the same and don’t all think the same way. While the different viewpoints can be beneficial, it can also lead to a lot of conflict of different opinions.

“And, in the end, you’re still my friend. At least, we did intend for us to work. We didn’t break, we didn’t burn. We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in. I had to learn what I got, and what I’m not, and who I am.”

At the end of the day, a good team can go out and hang out despite the conflicts of the day. Raise a toast to an animal lost. Be proud of the work we did. From others, we can learn our own skills. Learn what we can do and what we need help with. Together, make up for each others weaknesses. Realize which direction you want to go.

“I won’t give up on us. Even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love. I’m still looking up. I’m still looking up.”

“I won’t give up on us. God knows I’m tough enough. We got a lot to learn. God knows we’re worth it.”

“I won’t give up on us. Even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love.”

“I’m still looking up.”

Writer’s Grievance

Watching the television
Catching up on my shows
A character I once thought great
Now makes my envy show

A writer’s represented
Makes him my favorite from the start
But when his book enters the story
I can’t contain the fury in my heart

He writes his book in what seems like a night
Finishes the epilogue and sends it outright
The very next day an agent calls on the phone
It could be a new series! On the shelf in every home

He didn’t edit. Didn’t research.
Didn’t stare blankly at a computer
No conferences attended.
No one to be his tutor.

Where are the letters of rejection?
The months of anxious waiting?
Where’s the self doubt and misdirection?
And all the time hesitating?

The agent read his novel in full
Called the very next day
Wanted it immediately
Now, that’s leading people astray

A writer’s life is hard
At least it is for me
You sit down at your computer
And find sadness in your story

I want the writers in the movies
To be an inspiration
To help me pick back up the pen
And find courage to write again

But this character in the story
Makes a mockery of the craft
So desperate to find his ending
He results to dark witchcraft

What do you do when the stories won’t come?
When thinking of writing makes you feel numb?
You sit at the keyboard, stare at the words
And often wonder if there’s hope to be heard?

You’re running out of feedback
Question your own experience
You’ve been too laid back
Lost months of resilience

The dream is still there
Deep down inside
Found in a place where a child could hide

So, no matter the Darkness
Seek out true inspiration
In a bottle of goodness
Not pure desperation