Everyone’s got his or her favorite zoo animal. For me, it might just be elephants. I love watching them eat, bathe, and
play. For all their size and strength, they seem gentle and respectful of others. When I watch them in their
enclosures, many seem genuinely inquisitive, as if they’ve never lost their
enthusiasm for life.
In the 1941 Walt Disney
movie “Dumbo,” a young elephant is ridiculed
for his large ears. When his mother
Jumbo rises to his defense, she is locked away and declared
mad. Yet Dumbo overcomes the obstacles
life hurls in his path. He continues to
believe in himself, and grasps the opportunities he finds. His persistence pays off: Dumbo becomes the
star of the circus, and his mother Jumbo is released from her
imprisonment.
Growing up involves learning difficult lessons. Like squatters, the most painful experiences often lodge in our brains. If we allow them to inhibit our actions, they'll limit our future prospects. This weekend, I met a new arrival to the San
Diego Safari Park. Her name is Qinisa,
and she’s a two-month-old African Elephant.
Like Dumbo, her inquisitiveness, playfulness, and exuberance reminds me
of how I should approach each day, as well as the opportunities life hands me. When the journey toward adulthood threatens
to rob Qinisa of her zest for life, I hope that she, like Dumbo, still
believes in her ability to conquer every hardship she encounters. For our lives are what we make them. Every day.
We can all fly.
We can all fly.
Dragon Dave
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