Look, I know that ‘swim with dolphins’ is one of those wishes that every thirteen year old girl makes, usually around the time that she realizes that ‘ride a unicorn’ is never going to happen and that ‘marry Peter Pan’ runs against the entire spirit of J.M. Barrie’s work, and that for that reason it can’t be considered a particularly original or interesting wish.

But still.

You go find yourself a dolphin to swim with and then come back and tell me that that wasn’t the most heart-meltingly awesome thing that you’ve ever done that didn’t involve falling romantically or maternally in love.

You won’t be able to. I promise you that.

Heart-busting thanks to the awesome people at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove for this, and for the Manta Ray hook-up, and the giraffes, and all the roller-coasters, and for what was basically an all-out effort to redefine my life list altogether such that things like ‘visit Lourdes’ and ‘take cello lessons’ were displaced by ‘hug giraffes’ and ‘talk baby talk to a tiger‘ and ‘photobomb a peacock’ and ‘hug more giraffes.‘ You guys are awesome.