Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I spent some time this morning reading about crocodiles in the New York Times.  My 2 1/2 year old grandson is fascinated by the "crocodiles" (really alligators) in our nearby zoo.  Since I like the sound of the word crocodile better than alligator, though both are great, I don't correct him.  We visited them last week and two were sunbathing and a third floating in the water with just his eyes above, as he was resting his head on a submerged log.  I like the fact that crocodiles, when their mouths are closed, have overlapping teeth that seem to be grinning.  I like the shape of their heads better as well.  But either will do.  They are huge, everyone has a story about a poodle snatched from a grassy area in Florida, there is the alligator wrestling, which is absurd but real, and they serve, like wolves, snakes, sharks and tigers, as the boogeyman for many cultures.  But in East Timor, they are eating the public, despite the local belief they are ancestors.  They are ancestors all right; both crocodiles and alligators are from the time of the dinosaurs, but they split off and survived.  They are our T Rex.  I think my grandson sees them as monsters, but is curious and testing his bravery.  Me?  I must have a little bit of toddler still in me.