The girls wanted to see some of the local sights while they were here, so we put together a list of options when they first arrived. I skipped out on a few of the shopping expeditions, but joined them on many of their adventures.
Kansas City has had an aquarium open for almost a decade now. I knew it was there, but seeing the fish never got to the top of my list. The advertised $32 entrance fee was part of why I hadn't gone, so I when I decided to bring the girls there anyways, I was pleased to find they offer a 20% AAA discount at the door. (bonus!) We went in the middle of the week, hoping it wouldn't be too crowded, and the plan worked - a plus in these waning (I hope!!!) days of COVID.
There was more to the exhibits than I'd anticipated. From the touch pond where you first come in, to the kid's activities near the exit, the experience was well thought out; aimed at kids, but also fun for adults. I'd never had a chance to touch a live starfish before! (Not sure what the starfish thought about the experience, but it didn't jump in fear, so I suppose it was OK with it?)
I could have happily stayed and stared at the biggest aquarium for an hour, and probably would have if I didn't need to move along to accommodate the next group of visitors. It was calming, watching the sharks, bottom feeders, turtles, and assorted other swimmers lazily make their way around the enclosure.
That said, I also enjoyed looking at the sea horses and dragons, the clown fish, the stingrays, and all the other underwater plant and animal life. As we wandered through, a familiar sense of wonder and awe surfaced, as it does for me pretty much every time I get a glimpse of the amazing variety sea life.
Truth be told, though I do understand the basics of their underlying biology, my mind is still boggled by the fact that some animals can breathe water. I did a lot of swimming back in the day, and attempted to breathe in more water than I care to remember. It never went well.
Yet, there they swim, happily twisting and darting and floating and resting and clearly alive, breathing the water as I breathe the air. Mind. Blown. Every time.
What matter of wonderful happenstance could have life start as undistinguished muck and then move in so many diverse ways to end up with some of the animals breathing air, some water, and a few, both? And what hubris to think that because "I" happened to come along, that evolution somehow peaked with the world the as it was when I showed up. I certainly hope that's not the case!
It makes me sad to know I won't get to know what wonders will appear after my time here is done. Or, maybe I will get to watch the next episode. Who knows? This much I know for certain - I have no flippin' clue what actually happens after time ends for me, and neither does anyone else alive. I choose to hope there is an after, after life. It makes death less scary for me.
And I'll take all the less scary I can find these days.
No comments:
Post a Comment