Lost on Earth

I noticed a curious thing as I was driving around on Phinney Ave in Seattle, the day before Easter. I had every intention of re-visiting my new favorite boutique, The Frock Shop (the only boutique I have ever heard of that is affordable, check it out Seattleites: 6500 Phinney Ave. N. - http://www.shopfrockshop.com/ ) and after spending about 20 minutes trapped in University District traffic I was intensely frustrated when I became embroiled in an entirely different kind of traffic on Phinney, near the zoo.

The cause of this congestion? Mothers. Mothers everywhere.

Hair in pony-tails, pushing strollers, dragging toddlers and diaper bags and sometimes evening fathers, they migrated to the zoo in a slow, nose-wiping, scolding caravan. They clogged the crosswalks, snapped at impatient drivers, and herded their broods across uneven Seattle streets like geese with goslings under their wings.

Apparently the zoo hosts an annual “Bunny Bounce” every year on the Saturday before Easter. I later looked up their website and read that the Bunny Bounce offers exciting times, with “amazing egg hunts for children ages 1 to 8, crafts, bunny encounters, an egg ‘n’ spoon walk, photos by Team Photogenics and eggs-citing zoo programs throughout the day”.

Slowly I inched my vehicle through the crowd, looking out for large headed children that might try to dive under my tires. As I rounded the side of the zoo I saw something else. At the West entrance was a loosely assembled crowd of sign-holding protestors. If I wasn’t so busy trying to keep from squashing children with my car I would have paid closer attention to their signs, but they said something to the effect of “save the bunnies” or “don’t buy bunnies” or “bunnies can’t bounce when they live in your garage” or something.

An hour later I emerged from, another fabulous boutique called Lil Paisley with a green and gold vintage necklace clasped in my sweaty palms (also affordable and terrific – I swear this shop is smaller than my office cubicle: http://stores.lilpaisley.com/ ) and dodged giant raindrops as I jumped into my car. The unseasonably warm rain disturbed me. Although rain in April…or July, or September, was completely normal for Seattle, 70 degree weather and rain was eerie. I meditated on this as I drove home again, once again past the West entrance to the zoo.

The rain increased. It must have been disturbing to the protestors, previously seen picketing outside the zoo as well, for they were nowhere to be seen – perhaps they had taken shelter in a corporate coffeehouse nearby, or the RedMill burger joint up the street? The mothers, however, plowed on, determined that their children should have “bunny encounters”. This is oddly funny to me. As a homeschooled kid, I certainly know how stubborn a mother can be. Come to think of it, my mother would probably be just as tenacious – “You’re going to have your bunny encounter, and you’re going to like it! I didn’t drive all the way out here to let you wimp out from a few little drops of rain!”