I went to the zoo today with the family. They roamed around, I did some sketching. I went to the lions and had a fun time sketching the big male at the zoo. He roared, growled, ate his meaty breakfast, fun for all. Then he took a nap.

Excitement pretty much over in that cage, I decided to head over to the flamingo pond. As I walked over there, I met the gaze of the female lion in the next pen over.

She looked at me, deeply.

There was no rage or hate in those eyes, just knowledge. In that instant, I learned a lesson.

We both knew that in a second, I would be dead. Maybe two.

Cats, after all, do like to play with their prey before killing.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

- T.S. Eliot

A good friend of mine recently passed away. I know he lived a full life: I used to work with him on a ranch, and he had loads of stories to tell then and in the years since then. When I'd heard he'd died, this quote by T.S. Eliot got a new meaning for me. He was done exploring, and has arrived to where he started, and he knows that place for the first time.

Rest in peace, David Bennett. I'll see you when I'm done exploring in this life.