lights before Christmas
A couple nights back I went to the lights at the zoo at Riverbanks Zoo. I went last year too, but this year wasn’t the same. I got there later, there was a bigger crowd, and it was nowhere near as cold as last year, being a balmy mid-50s compared to last year’s low 30s.
Even if the temperatire had been the same, I think it still wouldn’t have been the same. last year I was really into Yule, drummed up the sun and generally celebrated. This year I didn’t really care at all for some reason. I mean, I had my Halloween lights up on October 1st or close to, in preparation. I barely managed to get my Christmas lights strung up by the middle of the month, and I wasn’t overly upset about that. I skipped doing a Yule ritual this year, which is unusual for me, since I rather enjoy Yule rituals.
This year I was much more melancholy at the zoo - I realize the zoo serves a necessary purpose of helping us keep species alive, but I can’t help but think about everything that’s happened that required us to put them in a zoo in the first place. As I walked by the tiger habitat, I could hear a pathetic noise, not exactly a rumble, or roar, but a sad sound that pierced my heart like an arrow. Before I passed on by, I stopped and reached out with my mind to acknowledge these magnificent creatures, who I could not see in the darkness. I felt their gratitude, and the sad sounds ceased, but the feeling remained.
The lights were beautiful, and will still be on through December 30th, but I have no desire to go back this year. Yule is supposed to be a celebration of the return of the sun, but it was the full moon that drew me out, that made me want to venture to the zoo. I don’t know that I would have gone otherwise. I did take some nice pictures though, which may or may not make their way into one of my blogs.