I've mentioned before that Florida is my most favourite place in the world. SeaWorld is my favourite park there. I am not an advocate of animals being kept in captivity but I am aware of all the conservation work that goes on behind the scenes and that eases my conscience a little. One of the things I find special about SeaWorld is the obvious love and respect the handlers have for their charges. Watching a show in an audience of thousands you feel like you are catching a glimpse of this special relationship they share.
Dawn Brancheau was the trainer at Seaworld, Florida who was killed this week by one of the Orcas. I didn't know Dawn personally. I probably saw her dozens of times but she was a stranger to me and the countless other people who envied her. Why was she envied? Not because we all would love to work with killer whales but because she was living her dream. Anyone who has ever visited Seaworld will know that these few fortunate people who interact with the animals there consider themselves blessed. They all think they have the best job in the world and, for them, they do. They live their dream everyday. They get paid to do the thing they love. I've read that Dawn knew she wanted to be a trainer at SeaWorld from quite an early age. She worked hard and achieved her life's ambition. How many of us can say the same thing? Like a majority of people, I still don't know what I want to be and perhaps it is now too late.
Dawn's death is tragic and my heart goes out to her family and friends. I hope the fact she got to live her dream is a small comfort to them. Most of us don't even come close.
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