The Life of the Long Haired Walrus in Argentina
Wally couldn’t help but feel insecure. After all, it seemed to him that he really did not belong in the place where he found himself. He wasn’t sure just how he ended up in Tierra del Fuego, an island off the southern tip of Argentina south of the Strait of Magellan on Cape Horn.
Maybe it was his skin color, a deep grayish-blue hew barely visible under the lengthy locks of black coarse hair that covered the majority of his hefty body. Maybe it was his obvious waddle as he made his way down the main street of this small town business district. Maybe it was his protruding almost tusk-like front teeth or long black whiskers that extended laterally from his face like an acrobat’s balancing pole. Any one of these features could have been the source of his obvious feelings of insecurity as he struggled to fit in amongst this foreign society.
But Wally was not your ordinary long haired walrus in Argentina. No, Wally had an inner strength and determination to succeed that kept pressing him on… providing him with the persistence necessary to overcome what most people would consider insurmountable odds.
Oh sure, Wally had his failures and setbacks. Like the time he joined the local dance academy. He didn’t do too poorly until the day he attempted his first pirouette and suddenly realized that his high center of gravity in combination with his hind fin-feet simply didn’t produce a lovely graceful ballet effect. Wally, being the perfectionist, decided to move on.
Wally’s big breakthrough came one day when he realized his true passion… clapping with his front flippers! Wally would sit on the busiest street corner in Tierra del Fuego and clap at the people as they walked by. Some people thought this was a bit strange at first, but that didn’t faze Wally. He had found his passion and nothing was going to prevent him from fulfilling his newly discovered purpose in life. Not the discouraging comments… not the disapproving glares… not even the occasional rotten tomato hurled at him from the anonymous crowd. Wally was content in his uniqueness!
As time went on, Wally discovered that his true passion for clapping was beginning to have a positive affect on the people of the town. As it turned out, the people really liked to be clapped at. Wally was filling an inherent basal human need… the need for affirmation. Crowds began to gather as Wally clapped and clapped and everyone’s chests would swell with pride and self accomplishment. Many people would toss fresh fish to Wally who would gobble them down with one swallow.
Wally learned that by following his passion of purpose and providing positive affirmation to others that his own needs were being fulfilled. What you give always returns to you in abundance! Wally changed his attitude from negative to positive and thus positively made a wonderful contribution to his community and he lived an amazing life for a long haired walrus in Argentina!
Comments (0)