"I suppose I was destined to become a docent at the Virginia Zoo. I clearly remember, after learning the meaning of the word menagerie in grade school, announcing to my mother that I had found a purpose in life. So years later, having acquired an indulgent husband, two young sons, two large dogs, two cockatiels, two dwarf hamsters, two hermit crabs, a tadpole, and an anole, I discovered there was no more room. I would have to suspend my mission to personally rescue all homeless pets. But, how would I fill the void?"

"It was my good fortune to read that the Zoo was looking for volunteers to complete a docent training course. Already a seasoned school volunteer (meaning I don't know how to say "no"), I called to sign up. It was a call I never regretted. In exchange for a few hours a week, I have been rewarded with valuable training, new friendships, and the rapt attention of hundreds of school children. The students who attend elementary school with my sons have awarded me near celebrity status and greet me as "the Zoo lady". As an added bonus, I have overcome a fear of public speaking (that is, as long as I am hiding behind a tenrec or a python or a llama). And most importantly, I enjoy the privilege of working with some truly remarkable animals. How many people can claim to have a personal relationship with a porcupine?"

"My work as a docent has invaded other aspects of my life. Just yesterday, a mother at my son's school stopped me in the hallway to peer into the container I was carrying. Inside was a large praying mantis and the meal worms I hoped that he would eat in front of my son's third grade class. She shook her head and having earlier caught me hauling two jars, each housing a different caterpillar and its food, accused me of loving bugs. I denied this, but she pointed to the silver dragonfly earrings dangling from my ears. Could she be right? Maybe I should give hissing cockroaches another chance."

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