Castles and Quiches

I was filled with dread as more of my angel fish transitioned from the safety of their petting zoo to a nearby animal sanctuary last September.

It’s not an aquarium just for angel fish, or even a pond or a lake for all fish.  And it’s not a safari park or zoo.  (I know because I've visited them all!)  But there are squirrels & a myriad of species welcome at this particular animal sanctuary.

I was filled with dread because moving from a petting zoo to an animal sanctuary can be disproportionately unsettling for angel fish.  Changes & surprises are particularly scary & anxiety inducing to angel fish.  And all that moving around from pen to tank, getting to know all those new animal handlers & all those new rules, mixing with the big fish, big squirrels & other big species, learning to be more independent ... well, it's really hard work, keeping it all together AND learning at the same time!

But this particular animal sanctuary is a hidden gem of a place, in my opinion.  Caring & talented animal handlers guide, teach & encourage the angel fish, squirrels & other species lucky enough to be there, in my opinion.

For angel fish, it’s particularly challenging.  Mistakes are made.   But they are helped to move on from these mistakes.  Everyone works together, with genuine concern & interest, to learn from these mistakes ~ to understand the underlying cause & to try to prevent a reoccurrence.  Not all angel fish are so fortunate.  Not all angel fish find themselves in places where their angel fish ways are understood & supported.  When they are, their confidence & self-belief reignites & grows.  

And this has been evidenced by some truly joyous moments recently ~ so much so I could have swum with the salmon & danced with the dolphins!

I cannot describe the relief & sheer joy of hearing one angel fish say "let's list all the things I'm good at" (angel fish can often think they’re pretty “useless” even when presented with evidence to the contrary) ... of witnessing another angel fish deciding to have a go at something new ~ something they didn't have to do but wanted to do (angel fish often avoid trying new things, fearful of failure, of not being good enough, of not being perfect or looking foolish) ... of seeing your angel fish swim home with head held high, proud of what they've made (curtain walled castles & quiches to name but two) ... of hearing your angel fish pronounce “it’s like you always say mum: if you do what you love, you’ll love what you do” (my long standing, non original mantra).  A mantra that is particularly pertinent to angel fish who can often find it difficult to engage.  It’s why it’s so important to help them find things they enjoy & to use those interests to connect, to engage with other "less appealing" but often necessary activities.

So, while I worried that the animal sanctuary might be too much for these angel fish, currently they are actually benefitting from the wider range of activities on offer & from what seems to be a standardised approach to fun, adapted lesson plans, making those activities more accessible (more angel fish friendly &, actually, still friendly & accessible to all species). 

And we are amassing content for their achievement books (started at a time when self-esteem was low to evidence ability, evidence the good days, evidence the “can dos”, evidence their talents).

I know we're not out of the woods yet ... nor would we want to be as, one day, these little angel fish will be big angel fish & they will need to know how to survive in the wild, wild woods ... in the great lakes, the deep blue seas & the rolling plains.

But I'm feeling hopeful.  

And I'm feeling thankful that these angel fish attend an animal sanctuary that seems to be a good fit for them ... & for me.

Curtain Walled Castle by An Affinity with A