Elephant mania

I said I would explain the elephants, so here's the story...

As a 7th grader, I was really excited about working for my uncle at the MN State Fair. I had never been to the fair before and I was also going to be earning money working in a fun environment! I was also scheduled to help the weekend before to get setup done. The first day of setup was spent getting the infrastructure in place - shelving, tables, signage, lights, table coverings - and then breaking open the boxes and boxes of wood handicrafts. I unpacked boxes of carved wooden animals in all varieties: cats, fishing animals, turtles, fish, and of course, ELEPHANTS! Something inside me fell in love (I know, I fall in love easily, leave me alone).

Once the long 12 days of the Fair were over and I received my paycheck, I inquired about purchasing some of the wooden elephant statues. My uncle graciously let me pick out a number of carvings and charged me a mere fifty dollars. Thus began the collection. Soon, friends and family members were bringing me back elephant statues from places they'd visited (like South Africa, Panama, and various zoos) and giving my elephant related gifts for birthdays. You name it, I probably have it in elephant style. I now own the following items with elephants on them:
- lamps (as depicted in a previous post)
- a white porcelain table
- silk bedsheet set
- wicker basket
- bookends
- wooden vanity
- underwear/socks/skirts/hoodie/other clothing
- magnets
- cookie jars
- teapots
- kleenex box cover
- candle holders and carved candles
- statues and many other trinkets
- jewelry (jade pendant, earrings)
- purses/bags
- and a tattoo... :)
- and probably a lot more I'm not thinking of now

When I reached college, I realized how silly it was to answer people with "I don't know, just always have" when asked about why I loved elephants. I started learning about them... and was even more fascinated than I was before! Did you know: They are the only creature with knees that can't jump (thank god! but they can swim) and they have a crazy long gestation period of 22 months - the longest of any land animal! There are tons of other cool factoids you can research if you're interested, with regards to their tusks, teeth, and thick skin.

I'm the one with my knees behind his ears!

While in college, I made the decision to study abroad in Thailand. There were several key reasons for this choice of location, but their national animal being an elephant certainly didn't hurt. :) I got to visit an elephant conservation center and ride bareback on an elephant! (I am so thankful for the experience I had there, and if you care to hear more about it or ask questions, feel free to let me know. I'm going to continue gushing about elephants now, though.) Elephants have long been a sign of good luck (if their trunk is up) in many cultures but I learned that Asian cultures view elephants as a symbol of wisdom. They are creatures of incredible memory and intelligence - they can be taught to paint and play soccer! They also represent a strong sense of family and community since they travel in herds and stay close together. They have very distinct sounds which make up a much more elaborate form of communication than we originally understood. Some of these sounds are unique to an individual or to a family of elephants.

Having a tattoo of an elephant on my body for life is not just a silly symbol of a childhood collection, but it embodies my core values of wisdom, intelligence, and family. I will carry those values for the rest of my life and the conversation starter of why I have an elephant tattoo typically allows me to share that with others.