Toward the end of fall this year, Deb and I joined Springfield Plein Air Group at the Dickerson Park Zoo, a nicely maintained, 100-acre property on the outskirts of Springfield. It was a gloomy day and, though we’d brought our paint boxes and the supplies we needed to create an onsite masterpiece, we ended up spending all our time wandering the grounds, taking photos. We’d left our gear at the giraffe enclosure in the care of a few artist friends, took up our cameras and hit the well-trodden trail. When we got back a couple hours later, all the giraffes had congregated in front of a sturdy wooden platform. It was erected above the ground at exactly the height of the big animals heads with heavy wire mesh for protection. Several adults had bought a supply of these flat, cracker-like wafers and were on the platform, feeding the hungry giraffes. Deb wanted to get in on the action so she joined the others and started snapping pictures and I started snapping pictures of her.

The adults, having exhausted their zoo sanctioned food supply, began to exit the small pier. Easing her way through the crowd, a cute little girl in a grey sweatshirt took their place. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and, through the camera, saw this brave little kid reach out and offer her cracker to the leading giraffe. This guy’s skin covered horns were bruised and battered and covered with scars and scabs. His head was easily as long as she was tall. He squeezed that huge head in between the wooden rails of the stand and stuck his 16-inch, black and blue tongue out to reach the cracker. The little girl didn’t flinch or cry or tremble. She stood her ground and let the alpha giraffe take the food. I zoomed in on her face; her eyes had opened wide and her lips were pursed. She was obviously terrified. But isn’t that what real courage looks like; doing the brave thing when you’re scared spitless? This was one valiant kid. I was so impressed by her display of courage, I decided that image was worth preserving for the next few centuries.