Do Good

I don’t care much about rock stars or other celebrities. I have a few authors I would like to sit down with. But about fifteen years ago I found out what my reaction would be to meeting a literal legend.

I was working at a museum and we found out that Jane Goodall was coming for a book signing that night! I was a manager of the gift shop, but the book sales weren’t through us. I believe Barnes & Noble were doing it. BUT…they said any of us who wanted to stay after work could hang around and watch the IMAX about the chimps and listen to her lecture. I get to be there for Jane Goodall and NOT work? Yes, please.

I bought the 2 books they had and stood in line to get her to sign them. She was so sweet and gracious but the funniest thing that happened was apparently I came REAL close to fainting. (I also almost stepped on her during the movie. I had already seen it so I just popped in to see when the lecture was gonna start and she was sitting on the steps in the dark just waiting. I almost screamed…but I didn’t!) The pictures from that event are hilarious because my fat head is so red. I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of people at my old job. A lot of people come to museums. I had a lovely conversation with Chili of TLC one day. Ted Turner came through at an environmental event where I was selling the speaker’s book. He picked up a copy and we chatted briefly about the event. Nene from the Real Housewives came in during the afternoon before they filmed the wedding episode! (I am taking the people that told me that was who that was at face value. I had no interest before or after. But she was very nice.)

But Jane Goodall almost made me pass out. The sheer excitement of meeting the woman I had literally read National Geographics about since I was a child was sitting in front of me! And being so close there was something that…didn’t shake me, per se. But it was odd. Standing next to her felt like what I imagine it would feel like to stand next to the Buddha. A sense of calm washes over you. You feel like everything is going to be okay. And I think THAT, as much as anything else about her passing…is why I have been sad for the last 2 days. We need that more than ever now.

We all need a support plush monkey.

We keep losing the people we need the most. But it also means we all need to step up and be that for each other. Be safe this weekend and take care of each other. Do some good.

-The Paintmonkey