Harriet the Flamingo Finds a Friend

By HM_Braverman

Harriet the Flamingo was the fastest flamingo in her flock of friends. She loved to race, and she loved to win.  She had become so fast that she hardly ever lost a race. Her friends suggested doing other things they were good at, but she always said, "No, I'm good at flying, why should I try something else?"

One day a new family joined their flock and a new flamingo came to school. Her name was Hannah, and she loved to run.  Hannah didn't like to fly any more than necessary for a flamingo.  Soon Harriet found herself alone after school; all of her friends wanted to run races with Hannah, instead flying with Harriet. Harriet felt left out and decided she really didn't like Hannah.

"Why don't you just join the other kids dear?" Her mom asked one night when Harriet came home feeling especially upset. Her best friend Jasper wanted to run home with Hannah, rather than fly home with Harriet.

"Mom, I'm no good at running!" Harriet moaned.

"I would lose every race, and it wouldn't be any fun.  I'm a flamingo, flamingos are supposed to fly," she huffed.+

"Flamingos are supposed to do whatever they are interested in doing Harriet.  We aren't limited to flying just because we have wings," said her mother, who was feeding Harriet's baby brother.

"It sounds like you're saying you only want to do the things that you're already good at doing," said Harriet's father.  "Do you only have fun when you're winning?" He asked, gathering their shrimp for dinner.

"Well..." Harriet began, "I..." She tried to think of an answer.  She knew she should like other things, regardless of whether or not she could do them well, but the truth was she didn't.

"I see you're having trouble thinking about this," her mom responded. "Why don't we ask this a different way; would you love to fly even if you didn't win every race?"

"Of course!" Harriet said.

"I love going high up so I can see the sunset, and I love how the water and land streams together when I'm moving fast, and I also love how the wind feels on my feathers." 

"So you would fly even if you couldn't win races?" Her father asked.

"Yes," said Harriet.

"Well I bet that is how Hannah feels about running.  I bet each of your friends has something different which they love to do, the same way you love flying.  You might find that if you try running, you will like it too.  Maybe not as much as you like to fly, but a little bit is better than nothing." 

Harriet's father came over and took her under his wing, "I know it's hard to try new things, especially when other people can already do them better. When I was your age I really resisted learning how to cook because I thought I would never be good at it, but my parents showed me how much fun it could be if I just gave it a chance.  I might never be as great a chef as my dad, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy doing it."+

"Comparing yourself to others will only make you unhappy, because our happiness has to come from inside us." Her mother said.

"You know," her mom continued, "I bet Hannah feels about flying the same way you feel about running. Why don't you offer to exchange some flying lessons for running lessons?"

Harriet headed to bed that night with her mind full of new ideas to ponder.

The next day when Harriet got to school her friends and Hannah were already racing down the track, Hannah was in the lead.  Harriet's courage began to fail as she saw just how fast Hannah could run. She felt jealous because her friends were laughing and having fun without her.

Just when she was about to turn around, Jasper called to her and flew over.

"Harriet, why haven't you been playing with us? We miss you!"

"Well," Harriet scuffed her claws in the dirt, "you all just looked so happy with your new friend and I'm not that good of a runner so..."

"Oh Harriet, Hannah is really fun, but you're our friend too.  Learning to run fast is great, and I bet you would really like it if you tried it. Won't you come play?"

Harriet's heart filled with joy that her friends still wanted to play with her.  She flew over with Jasper and landed just as George inched past Hannah to the finish line.

"Great race George!" Hannah panted. "I'll have to work extra hard if I want to win next time."+

Harriet realized that Hannah probably wasn't so bad after all, she just needed to give her a chance.

"Hannah, would you like to exchange some running lessons for some flying lessons?  I'm not a very good runner, but it looks like it could be fun, so I would like to learn."

"Really?" Hannah said smiling. "I've never been a very fast flyer.  I've always wanted to learn how to get better, but I was intimidated by how fast you are. I thought you wouldn't want to help me."+

Harriet was startled, she hadn't thought she was intimidating.  She realized she had felt the exact same way about Hannah.  Hannah's compliment made her feel good, and she could see why her friends liked Hannah.  Harriet thought she wold probably like her too.  That day Harriet's bravery was rewarded with a new friend who taught her how to love to try new things.

The End