Tale of the gold fish

I really need to write about our goldfish. Dave has always said its name is "Juan" because he's the only juan we've got. Rachel says its name is Goldy.

This is one of those goldfish that you find at the neighborhood carnival. You know the ones that come in a little fish bowl and you try to throw a ping pong ball into it.

Then, if you're lucky enough to get the ball in the bowl, you win the fish. They put it in a plastic bag of water and you carry it home - sloshing around in the bag.
We can't really remember how many years ago it was that one of our kids, Rachel we think, won this one. Probably 15 years ago.

It lives in an aquarium. There were other carnival goldfish from time to time, but this one has survived. It has moved with us from Mountlake Terrace to Federal Way (10 years ago). It survived the leaking aquarium and was moved into a new aquarium.

It's now bent. And several times, we thought sure it was a goner.It would be down on the bottom of the tank curled in half. Or up at the top curled in half. Sometimes it's upside down. Sometimes vertical, face down.
Each time I've thought "it's really dead this time." It starts swimming around. Reminding me of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail scene "Bring out your dead." and the old man keeps screaming "I'm not dead yet"

For whatever reason, this fish really doesn't want to give up. It's full of hope and believes that today's pinch of fish food is enough to rejoice in - enough to keep swimming.

Who knows? Tomorrow may be the day that it doesn't swim around anymore. But it could be many years from now.

But for now, we keep feeding it and watching it with wonder.