Do you speak to animals?

Hi there,

I went to the zoo on Saturday. I actually go every few months to practice my photography. Well......that's what I told myself when I first went. My first time for this purpose was six years ago. I got a high end point and shoot Nikon camera as a gift and was super excited. I already knew that I liked shooting inanimate objects and nature but I honestly wished I had a pet (a dog obviously) to take photos of. Because of my love for animals, I decided to venture to the zoo by myself.

I don't normally go out by myself because, as always, anxiety will get the best of me and I will end up talking myself out of it. But, I am so glad that I went and I enjoy every minute of it, every single time that I go. Some friends ask me if I ever get tired of going to the zoo because there are the same animals all the time. My answer will always be no. The reason for this is that I experience something new each time I go and I learn something new about myself and the animals.

So this is why the subject is "do you speak to animals". I speak to animals. I can have a full conversation with them and I am not sure if they understand me or not, but sometimes I think they do. I get expressions from them or a noise or sometimes completely ignored. But no matter what response I get, it calms me. Interacting with the animals delightfully calming to me. So when I feel like I've been holding things in too long and my anxiety is high, a trip to the zoo makes everything better.

On this visit, I saw an iguana, a squirrel and a humming bird. All of these were seen while I was just walking around. In fact, the humming bird and squirrel were scene by accident because I saw the iguana and I didn't want to pass on the walkway behind so I took the long way to the flamingos. The lion and tiger stared at me long enough for me to get a good shot. The macaws are always entertaining to look at and shoot, especially when they are eating. The giraffes' grace is mesmerizing. The smaller monkeys remind me of toddlers and are so cute. The older and bigger monkeys remind me of old men sitting on a porch in the countryside. And while I usually find it hard to process lots of noise, the noises coming from all the animals has never once irritated me. I think my favourite noise is the birds singing.

So my calmness has returned and equilibrium restored but will be back in a few months to see what new interactions with the animals I receive.

See you soon.....

Toodles,
This Pretty Nerd

Starting Again.

Hi there, 

It's been forever..... and I'm going to be honest.  My anxiety kicked in, I froze up and just kept postponing writing. But something happened yesterday and two friends talked me through it and all I thought about was that I needed to write and express myself. Sooooooo I'm back. YAY!!

Honestly, I think (and by think I mean know) I'm unnecessarily hard on myself and I want everything to perfect before I start something, which is another reason why I haven't pounded this keyboard in months. But, while I know that things can never always be  perfect, I've decided to make a greater effort to remind myself that it is ok not to be perfect all the time or wait for this somewhat unattainable perfection. It's quite possible that's this has been holding me back in experiencing new things (self revelation, yay for me!). In fact, maybe about 2 years ago I made a conscious decision to say YES to new experiences, which was uncomfortable as hell sometimes but looking back, I don't think I've regretted it and all the new things I've done, learnt about myself or people I've met. I guess learning about myself and continued self development never really stops. And truth be told, I'm loving every minute of it. 

It's almost 5:00 am and I'm up before my alarm...... WHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  *rolls my sleepy eyes*. But I've really been up since 3:00 am and I've had my first cup of magical fluid (aka coffee). So today is definitely going to be filled with a few more cups of this magical fluid. Coffee really does get my productivity levels going. I've been writing down to my thoughts and ideas concerning content for my blog (because my thoughts are in abundance but it's gets crazy in my head sometimes). So if you're reading this and have any ideas for me, feel free to share. I'm new to this and if you've been writing and/or blogging, chances are you already know some secrets.... so dish lol. 

See you soon.....

Toodles, 

This Pretty Nerd

P.s. To the German, thank you for your ideas from before and encouragement from across the seas.