Penguin Lessons
Our Antarctic journey was aboard the National Geographic Explorer. The expedition-style trip meant getting up early in the morning, getting into a zodiac, and getting on the ice shelf to view wildlife. It was summer. The sun beat down on the ice shelf 24 hours a day, causing the temperature to hover around a balmy 25 degrees (above zero), and the extended daylight allowed for a return to the ship for lunch, a siesta, and then back out in the late afternoon.
On the morning of our third day, we planned to see a colony of emperor penguins. We had arranged to meet new friends from dinner the night before. These penguins were spectacular, some of the largest, and we got some great photos, but our friends were no-shows.
We found our friends at lunch upon our return. They had a surprising story to share that taught us a valuable lesson. They confessed they made a mistake. They had been planning this trip for a long time. They kept putting it off. Life kept getting in the way. They’d have more time later. They’d have more money later. Finally, they retired. Now, there was plenty of time and plenty of money. But they could no longer walk up the hill to see the penguins.
