Just Get Me a Wetsuit and a Whistle
I SO wanted to be the one high-fiving someone over an orca.
I have an unpopular confession. It’s definitely less ignominious than admitting you attend dog fights, but certainly less sanctimonious than saying you rescue cats and then train them to be firefighters or something.
Okay. Here goes.
I love SeaWorld.
I do. It can’t be helped. I know, I know, I know. “Blackfish” and animal rights and all valid points considered but still. Regardless. My love for SeaWorld cannot be ruined. There’s just something about all those brilliant animals engaged and learning and living with a purpose. Fantastic natural athletes with clear-cut reasons for getting up in the morning, I love how the animals bond with their trainers.
In point of fact, I wanted to be one of those trainers for a really long time. You know, me and about half the other southern California children who loved SeaWorld too. It just looks like fun, doesn’t it?
I’m sure part of my interest in animal training comes from my parents. They both trained dogs when they were younger and my mom continues to be a gifted animal trainer. You’ve never seen a better-behaved dog or horse than my mom’s dogs and horses.
Anyway, the reason all this is on my mind is, Wes and I took the kids to the Seattle Aquarium on Saturday and happened to arrive at the Harbor Seal exhibit at the exact moment the seals’ trainers were working with them.
Imagine my delight to watch these trainers working with fish and whistles to train the seals to do tricks and differentiate between shapes! Of course, when my son asked what they were doing, I had to stop my psych nerd self from answering, “They’re using operant conditioning to elicit desirable behavior from the seals!”
Wes and I had a good long talk the other night about what I want to do when I grow up. You know, when my kids are grown and my skills are irrelevant and I’m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.
Maybe I’ll train seals! Maybe I’ll ride horses all day! Maybe I’ll join an orchestra! Maybe I’ll write stories!
Or, probably more likely, some awesome heretofore unimagined option I have yet to think of.
How about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?
