_edited.png)
Attitude
We took the kids to the zoo today and it was such a great experience. First of all, it could not have been a more perfect day. The weather was 78 degrees with a light breeze. There was no traffic on the highway. The kids woke up in a good mood because they were excited about the zoo and had been asking when we were going for the entire week. Literally everything was perfect.
Put on your walking shoes because we walked five miles and we didn’t even put a dent in all the attractions. The Bronx Zoo is huge. My favorite exhibit and I think Jay’s too were the tigers. They were coming up to the glass and not hiding away or sleeping like the lions were. Harlei’s favorite is giraffes. She is a die-hard lover of the giraffes, she had no interest in the tigers, her love lies with the yellow long-necked animals. To end the day, we saw the friendly seals who were awesome because they pretty much put on a show for us, dancing, jumping, singing, and wrestling with each other. It was honestly a great day.
Now, let’s look at the finite details of the day. The fact that Jay was too excited to take a nap in the car ride down because he wanted to go to the zoo so badly. About an hour into the park he started to get cranky because let’s face it, he’s three and that’s what three-year-olds do. He started to whine, cry, and wanted to be picked up but he didn’t want to sit in the stroller. There was a moment where he had an embarrassing fit, one that I would’ve frowned at when I saw kids do before I had them. Jay found a friend by the time we go to the train ride and Harlei wasn’t having it, so she got an attitude and threw a tantrum.
The size of the zoo added to the holiday weekend equaled lines to get into the major attractions, like the Congo, which was one of the main ones I wanted to see. The line was wrapped around the building so we decided to pass on it (I’m still upset about, let’s just say it wasn’t my decision to pass). When we left the zoo, we decided to stay in New York to eat and we drove to City Island in the Bronx, which if you’ve never been is pretty much an area full of seafood restaurants surrounded by water filled with expensive boats – it’s beautiful. Jay screamed the whole way there because we woke him from his sleep that he’d finally given into and we had to wait forty minutes for a table while holding him of course. The food ended up being really good so, in the end, it was worth the wait.
So, let’s talk about attitude. I could’ve started with all the drama that the kids brought, but guess what, they’re kids so it’s to be expected. I could’ve complained about the walking, the lines, and the wait times but it’s a zoo so again, to be expected. Instead, the way I see it, I got to enjoy what could’ve been a normal day with my family doing something none of us have ever done before. We got out of town, had a chance to get up close and personal with some beautiful animals, made memories together, and ultimately, that’s what life’s all about. It’s all about your attitude. If we had negative attitudes then we would've missed all the beauty that the day was filled with. We would’ve missed the looks in our kids’ eyes when they saw their favorite animals. These are moments we will cherish forever and that overshadows any of the to be expected not so pleasant details of it all. I’m so thankful for today and all that came with it, the good, and the not so good that made it all more interesting, and the reason why it was perfect at all.