Lessons Learned At The Petting Zoo

Last week, I was taking a long walk through my neighborhood with my Seeing Eye dog, Carson, when we encountered a festival filled with happy kids and a carnival atmosphere. Navigating through wall-to-wall people is always a challenge, but I decided to brave it and we pressed on, hoping the sidewalk wouldn’t be blocked.

Suddenly, Carson darted off the walkway, his nose aimed with an intensity that could only mean there was another animal nearby.

Frustrated, I pulled Carson back on track, only to have him get distracted by another smell on the opposite side. I was growing irritated with the crowd and Carson’s behavior until a man behind me chuckled and said, “Your dog is sniffing a llama!” As far as I know, llamas are not indigenous to my neighborhood… nor this continent, for that matter!

The man, still laughing, continued, “The library is having a carnival and there is a petting zoo set up all along the street.”

As Carson sniffed a baby donkey, I had a quick moment to think. At that point, I had two choices; I could have gotten angry at the unexpected distractions along my route, OR I could laugh at the pure oddity of a herd of exotic animals hanging out around the library! I chose the latter.

"Carson, that’s a llama," I said, bending down to recapture his attention, "But don’t worry, I won’t be getting one as a pet!" I had to just laugh and shake my head in amusement at his sheer puppy behavior! After that laugh, even I couldn’t be annoyed when, before we reached the end of the block, Carson had also sniffed out a goat, a pony and a variety of other creatures I doubt he’d been exposed to during his short two years on this planet!

A lesson learned at the petting zoo: Take a moment to be amused, not frustrated, when things don’t go as planned. If you look hard enough, you’ll probably find some humor in the adverse experience, too. A bit of humor lies in every situation. It is up to us whether we look upon the whole as a problem or a pleasure. Choose the pleasure… you may just walk away with a great story!

Marcus Engel is a professional speaker/author who inspires audiences to achieve success by making intelligent choices. Blinded by a drunk driver at age 18, Marcus battled through two years of recovery and 300 hours of reconstructive facial surgery to reach his goal of returning to college. After graduating from Missouri State University in 2000, Marcus began sharing his story professionally to audiences nationwide. In 2002, Marcus founded his own publishing company with the release of his autobiography, “After This…An Inspirational Journey For All the Wrong Reasons.” His messages of empowerment and motivation have been witnessed by hundreds of thousands through his keynotes, his autobiography and his monthly newsletters. Marcus Engel is a speaker, a message, a story you will never forget! Visit http://www.MarcusEngel.com for more information!