Saying Goodbye to a Mentor
Last year, Mike retired after an incredible 30-year career. At his going-away party, he pulled me aside for one last conversation.
“You know, Emily, when you first showed up talking about how you were going to befriend that elephant, I thought you were crazy.”
“Just crazy?”
He laughed. “Okay, maybe a little naive too. But you taught this old keeper something important—sometimes the craziest ideas are exactly what the world needs.”
On his final day, Mike visited Dumbo one last time. I watched from a distance as this man who’d cared for Dumbo through fifteen years of trauma said his goodbyes. Dumbo seemed to understand the significance of the moment, standing quietly as Mike spoke to him, occasionally reaching out to touch his hand.
“Take care of our girls,” Mike told him, referring to me and the elephant family we’d built together.
I swear Dumbo nodded.
