Harriet was the fastest flyer in her flock of friends. She loved to race, and she loved to win. She rarely lost a race.

Whenever her friends suggested she try new things, she always said, "No, I'm good at flying, why should I try anything else?"

One day a new family joined the flock, and a new flamingo came to school. Her name was Hannah, and she was a runner. She didn't enjoy flying at all. Harriet's friends wanted to run races with Hannah, instead of flying with Harriet.

"Why don't you 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.

"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, I'm supposed to fly," she huffed.

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

""It sounds like you're saying you only want to do the things that you already do well," Harriet's father said. "Do you only have fun when you're winning?"

"No," Harriet said, "I love to fly. I love going high up so I can see the sunset. I love how the water and land stream together when I'm moving fast, and how the wind feels on my feathers."

"I bet Hannah feels that way about running, I bet each of your friends loves something different, the same way you love flying. If you try running, you might like it too. Maybe not as much as flying, but a little bit is better than nothing."

Harriet's father took her under his wing, "I know it's hard to try new things, especially when other people can already do them so well. When I was your age, I never wanted to learn 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 not be a great chef like my dad, but I still enjoy cooking."

"Comparing yourself to others will only make you unhappy because our happiness has to come from inside us." Her mother said. "I wonder if Hannah feels the same way you do?"

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

The next day when Harriet got to school Harriet's friends and Hannah were already racing down the track. Hannah was in the lead. Harriet saw how fast Hannah could run and how everyone around her was laughing and having fun. 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 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. 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 wasn't so bad after all. She just needed to give her a chance. "Hannah, would you like to trade 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. "You're such a fast flyer, and I've always wanted to learn how to get better. I thought you wouldn't want to help me."

Harriet was surprised. She 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 would probably like her too. On that day Harriet's bravery was rewarded with a new friend who taught her to love trying new things.

The End