The fish are doing just fine.

People, even people who know us well, sometimes experience worry about the welfare of the fish. This is reasonable. Fish are small, in the scheme of things. Fish are fragile, and at the mercy of huge, ineluctable forces like tides and larger fish and trends in artistic criticism. Fish are vulnerable, and they remind us of our own vulnerability, and we feel for them. We worry. This is natural and human.

However, the fish are doing OK. While there are many things that might endanger or torment the fish, none of those things are endangering or tormenting them currently*. The fish are enjoying a rest from the many aquatic perils and piscine tribulations that routinely attend their small, buoyant lives, and they are taking time to focus on gentler things.

At the Pirate Store, there's a new troupe of players in the Fish Theater. All three are novice thespians, and this is their first time in any regionally-recognized fish theater, but they have heart, so much heart, and over the days they've been here we've watched them grow in confidence and trust. They practice for hours every day in front of the side mirrors, getting their form just right. Guenever is focused mostly on monologues, while Roger and Ailey are working on a slapstick routine where Ailey wants to sleep, and Roger keeps coming over and scratching her sides on Ailey's scales. Comedy gold.

At King Carl's Emporium in the Tenderloin, our traveling pufferfish King Carl is, one, not king of anything, and, two, somewhere. Else. Probably. Somewhen else?  He's probably fine. He does this kind of thing a lot. Follow your dreams, Carl.

At the Woodland Creatures Outfitters in Mission Bay, the mer-people that hang out in the warm grottoes are not fish, and are frankly a little offended to be included in this newsletter. They're also doing well, though. Marina got the promotion she's been angling* for, and Pablo has a new recipe for gazpacho.

The fish are working on it.

The fish are all right. The fish are good! The fish are just showing up, every day, doing the best they can with the tools available to them, just like we all are. The fish have goals and aspirations and the fish are making progress towards those goals and aspirations, and you, caring about the fish, you're helping. The fish notice. It makes a difference.
Visit the fish

* Fish pun!
** Fish pun! Sorry, Marina. I owe you a coffee for that.