One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories is of going to the pet shop to pick out new tropical fish for my freshwater aquarium. Throughout my first 17 years of life I considered countless guppies, tetras, angelfish and coolie loaches my most devoted companions. I appreciated that they were attentive and patient listeners to my childhood stories of elation and angst, and that they taught me about the fragility of an enclosed ecosystem. My last buddy, a 12+ year-old redtail shark, died shortly before I went away to college. Over the next few decades, my nomadic lifestyle discouraged me from resuming my hobby, but its funny how life comes full circle, sometimes in unexpected ways. I just returned from the "pet shop" with 4 new grass carp for my half acre freshwater aquarium. Right now they're settling in to their new digs, making friends with the catfish and bluegill and bass, while I regale them with my stories.
