Panache Blog

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

This Little Light of Mine

When Jan and I were in Chicago a few weeks ago, I shared a heartwarming, true story about the most unlikely of friends with two classes of four- and five-year-old enthusiastic youngsters at Terrace Elementary School.  It is an amazing tale about finding purpose in the most implausible of circumstances. Polar opposites let their light shine for one another creating a bond that has made them two of the most visited animals in the world. Owen is an abandoned, 600 pound baby hippopotamus and Mzee is a 130-year-old giant tortoise.
   
The children were mesmerized as they listened to Owen’s tale of hardship as a series of bad storms and floods in his African homeland left him stranded at sea, separated from his Mother and pod. The children gasped in shock as they imagined what it would take for the brave local villagers to capture and move an angry, slippery and dangerous baby hippo to safety. 

Fifty miles away, a safe and peaceful animal sanctuary welcomed Owen. The animal doctors and care-takers prepared an area that had a pond and muddy areas - two loves of hippos. Other animals shared this space including a giant, solitary and very grumpy tortoise named Mzee. Owen arrived weak and exhausted and many worried whether he would survive. The hippo immediately ran and hid behind Mzee just like a baby would hide behind its Mama for protection. This made the tortoise very unhappy. He hissed and slowly moved away over and over again. Owen just kept following. The next morning the workers found Owen and Mzee snuggled close together. Owen refused food. Then he slowly began to eat at Mzee’s side. It was as if Mzee was teaching him how to survive. Over time the two became inseparable. They swim together, eat together, drink together, and sleep together. They even rub noses.

In the wild these two would be enemies. And even though both could injure each other - they are gentle. Each could not be more different from the other - Owen is a mammal and Mzee is a reptile. Science can’t explain why they are inseparable - but the heart knows best. They found purpose in one another.

With the children tucked around my feet, we talked about how these two animals let their “light shine” for one another. When I explained that we all have a light within us and asked them where they kept their light, all hands went up. A young boy jumped up and said he kept it in his heart.

“How do you share your light?” They chorused together, “by loving people.” Then the classroom dissolved into spontaneous hugs. 

Sometimes the greatest lessons come from the most unlikely of sources.

Posted at 1:34 pm  |  Send to a Friend