I am a little behind… But that’s okay. Sometimes, life happens. Gone are my days of stressing myself over it. I also decided I was handling this all wrong. I should write only about the words that spark interest or passion in me. It doesn’t have to be daily, and why assign an exact date to it? It just adds to my stress…

Trust
Who do you trust? Wholly and completely? Yourself? Your partner? When you get down to it, who can you say you trust without a shadow of a doubt. That list is likely very small.

For me, when I trust someone, I believe they will keep my confidence & feelings to themselves. I know that they are a true and honest person who does not lie to me. Finally, they do what they say they are going to do and follow through on plans. In return – I am the same kind of person for them! It has to go both ways.

Why do I mention that? Well, I have a story to tell you… It came up when I was telling my husband about the words that had come up for these last few days and how they hadn’t really ‘sparked’ anything in me.

Until I met his blue eyes, and I remembered… Betrayal! <insert laughing emoji>

We started dating in the fall of 1998… I was swept away! Ever the gentleman, he was! I mean door opening, bringing flowers and randomly showing up at my door, paying for all the dinners kind of gentleman! It was kind of a whirlwind when I was not expecting it. He was romantic, caring, dependable, helpful, trustworthy.

A few months later, we took a trip out west of the city to visit my Mom and step-Dad… It was a cool winter’s morning, and he drove us in his beautiful new pick-up truck. We had talked about so many things in our short few months of dating.

Including my love of penguins. I am not some weirdo collector or anything. I just have a ‘usual like’ of penguins.

I mean, who doesn’t love penguins? They are adorable and having just celebrated our first Christmas together, so many lovey Christmas decorations are festooned with penguins! Because what doesn’t say “Christmas” like a resident south pole living penguin?

We hit the last bend in the road before we start seeing the signs indicating the town is approaching – and forgive me, the details are starting to get fuzzy now, some 28 years later – and the first of the signs indicating how much further the town is away.

“OH!” he exclaimed.

“What!” I reply, as he was usually pretty quiet – unless it was an important and relevant piece of information.

Another mile, another sign.

“OH! OH!” he said again!

“What!! What are you ‘oh-ing’ about!!!” he was getting me excited! I had to know!

“Well! I didn’t know the town was getting… A Penguitorium!!!” He was completely serious.

I wasn’t sure what that was. See, he was the smartest person I had ever met, and I did not want to look stupid, but I had to ask… “Is that where they house penguins?”

He nodded.

“Oh! I wonder if my Mom knows. Why didn’t she say something? How did you know? We will have to go see it!” I had a million questions. A real penguitorium! (Which, for the record, does not come up as a spelling mistake with autocorrect.) “How do you know!?” I asked, wondering how he knew!

“See the three little penguins on the corner of the sign?”

I did not see any penguins. But I trusted him… There is that word!

Now, this is where my memory gets a little fuzzy… In my head, I remember relaying the story to my Mom & step-Dad with much excitement! But part of me also remembers the truth being revealed and me trying to share the silly story and convince someone.

What? You don’t believe in penguitoriums?

I did. Full stop, whole heartedly, why would anyone tell a penguin-loving 24-year-old (somewhat) naive woman anything but the honest truth!?

There was laughter. I remember him laughing, his deep, full-hearted laughter. But I don’t remember when it happened. “There is no penguitorium.” He explained. In fact, a penguitorium was a made-up word! The three penguins on the sign? Just an advertisement for the company that created the sign! The entire tale, a fabrication!!

Now, of course, this was a funny story that has stayed with us and one that gets told often, how I fell for the penguitorium in rural Alberta. BUT… Also, I tell how the penguins pursued my husband at the Calgary Zoo and tried to fly out of the tanks and pounce on his head. haha! Who had the last laugh!