Back on Penguin Awareness Day a few months ago, I wrote a Captain's Log about my love of penguins. If you've watched enough of my videos over the years, you've probably noticed that penguins tend to show up from time to time. Sometimes they're hidden in thumbnails. Sometimes they're sitting on shelves. Sometimes I'm just talking about them because, well, I really love penguins. Apparently one of my students was paying attention.

James Chessher recently made a donation to the World Wildlife Fund in my name to help support penguin conservation efforts. That alone was incredibly thoughtful. But as part of the donation, WWF sent me a bucket full of little plush penguins. (1)

The whole thing started with James sending me an email that simply said, "Important: you have a package at your mailbox."

At the time, I was traveling, and I replied, "Yeah, I just got an email from them, and I'm warning you, if it ticks, meows, or has an Apple logo on it, I'm going to be very upset."

Fortunately, it was neither. When I finally got home and opened the package, I discovered an entire bucket of adorable plush penguins. It was one of those gifts that immediately makes you smile because you know someone put real thought into it. So thank you, James. I sincerely appreciate it. Not just the bucket of penguins (which is AWESOME!) but I really appreciate your donation to help them. They need it.

The funny thing is, this means my penguin shelf has now officially expanded into two penguin shelves. And that's still not all the penguins we have around the house. There are penguins in my travel suitcase. There's a penguin soap dispenser in my bathroom. There are penguin magnets on the refrigerator. There are penguins in my office. At this point, if you walk into my house and don't see a penguin somewhere, you probably need to get your eyes checked.

It all started as a cute little thing between my wife Lauren and me. You know the stereotype that penguins mate for life (some do), they're adorable, they're loyal, and they just seem to have these funny little personalities. We started joking around about them years ago, and it kind of became our thing. At one point, Lauren's mom was visiting, and I was a lot heavier back then. She said, "Rick waddles like a penguin." She meant it affectionately, of course, and honestly... she wasn't wrong. Let's be real, I still waddle like a penguin sometimes. I just do it a little faster now.

Over the years, though, it grew into something more than an inside joke. We started watching documentaries and learning more about them, and I became genuinely fascinated by these animals. They're smart, social, quirky little creatures that somehow manage to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth while simultaneously looking like they're late for an important business meeting.

Over time, they became more than just a cute animal I liked. I developed a real appreciation for them and for the challenges they face. In fact, seeing penguins in their natural habitats has become a bit of a bucket list item for me. I would love to visit the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and South Africa someday. (2)

We've already had one incredible experience. Lauren and I traveled to Wichita, Kansas, to visit Tanganyika Wildlife Park and actually swim with penguins. Yes, that's a real thing, and yes, it was every bit as awesome as it sounds. (3)

I also recently discovered there's a place up in Destin, Florida, called Gulfarium that offers a penguin encounter experience too, so naturally that's now on our travel list. Destin isn't exactly "next door" but it's a fun road trip. (4)

Anyhow... There are several penguin species that are threatened, and some, like African penguins, are critically endangered. Their habitats are changing faster than they can adapt. I'm actually not terribly worried about humans. We're remarkably adaptable creatures. If climate change forces us to relocate cities or change how we live, we'll figure it out. Humans have been adapting and surviving for hundreds of thousands of years. We've survived ice ages.

What worries me are the species that evolved over millions of years to thrive in very specific environments that we're rapidly changing through our own carelessness. They don't get to pack up and move somewhere else quite so easily. So if there's an opportunity to help protect those habitats, whether it's through donations, conservation efforts, education, or simply raising awareness, I think it's worth doing.

So thank you again, James. I absolutely love the bucket of penguins. But even more than that, I appreciate helping support the real penguins out there who need our help.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find room for even more penguins.

LLAP
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(1) The original WWF, the one that helps animals, not the guys in tights hitting each other with folding chairs.

(2) If you haven't watched Penguin Town on Netflix. Do it now. Do it. Do it.

(3) Coincidentally, I found out after the fact that James also lives in Wichita, Kansas. I told him next time we're there, I'll buy him an ice cream cone.

(4) We've been to Seaside before, which is nearby. It's a quaint little town where The Truman Show was filmed.