BY JEFF CORBETT
Gary Richmond spent seven years at the Los Angeles Zoo as a zookeeper, and his book “A View from the Zoo” describes how the birth of a giraffe provided a lesson in tough love.
It is very awkward and difficult for a giraffe to stoop down, so when birthed, the baby calf falls five feet to the ground, landing on its back.
The mother prods the newborn with her head, then she does the strangest thing: She kicks her baby. Then she kicks it again, prompting it to finally stand up. Once the newborn is on its wobbly legs, she kicks it off its feet and the baby falls down once more.
You might ask, why on earth does the mother do this?
She wants the baby to remember how it got up because in the wild survival depends on getting on its feet quickly to run from an attacking lion or leopard.
Adversity Can Be a Teacher
Like the baby giraffe, you too may occasionally need a kick to get where you need to be in your life’s journey after a difficult or trying time.
Life in 2025 may not be easy for you, but you have the inner strength to stand strong.
Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”
Adversity Can Be a Blessing
Paul Harvey wisely noted, “If there is a 50-50 chance that something can go wrong, then nine times out of ten it will.”
It is human nature to possess a mindset to avoid adversity and challenges, and we often think a good life should be an easy seat on a pillow of comfort.
But the minute you start dodging the hard times and the impending changes and turbulence that often accompanies such, you become mentally flabby and complacent, and your grit and resolve can vanish, leaving you ill-prepared for the tough times.
Consider the highly unusual yet interesting statue in Enterprise, Alabama, inspired by the dreaded Boll weevil, which devastated the area’s cotton crops for decades.
Dedicated on December 11, 1919, the marker and statue honor these grotesque bugs for their role in forcing local farmers to explore alternative crops.
The farmers regained their financial prosperity by switching from cotton to peanuts. Without the Boll weevils’ destruction of their cotton crops, the farmers would have clung to a decades-old way of life that held less promise and profit.
My point? In your life, tough times can actually be a wake-up call, an invitation to a new way of life or thought process that will re-energize you and show you the way to unimagined progress.
When you are tempted to turn a blind eye to opportunities brought about by your challenges, remember the monument to adversity in Enterprise, Alabama.
Give Thanks
The headlines today may be grim, but in truth, we are the most blessed people in history.
Too often we moan in bad times, but we take for granted our blessings in the good times.
Philip Bernstein noted, “We have no right to ask when a sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.”
A giraffe, life, or bad luck may kick you down, and adversity will likely happen to you at some point in your journey.
How you respond will make all the difference.
A Chinese proverb advises, “When fate throws a dagger at you, there are only two ways to catch it, either by the blade or by the handle.”
Which will you choose?
Jeff Corbett is an experienced public speaker, meeting facilitator and sales and marketing professional. He lives in Statesville. He can be reached at jeff@speak-well.com.