If I Were In A Petting Zoo, I'd Bite You

Don't ask me how or why this analogical anecdote popped in my head – it just did. Blame it on my childhood summers spent at numerous county fairs or my 18 month old daughter's weekly trips to the local zoo.

If you've been neglected the exhilarating experience of a petting zoo and I'm betting there are many of you out there who have, then let me paint the picture. Most kids who grow up in urban or suburban surroundings rarely if ever get to experience the Little House on The Prairie type of lifestyle, so it's up to zoo's and other tourist attractions to create a farm like environment for kids. Usually a small fenced in area half the size of a football field, these kid friendly places house goats, sheep and other domestic, docile animals. If you're lucky you may even see a reindeer (yahoo!). The real magic happens when the animals are released and met by dozens of small children and parents who are eager to share their pre-purchase food pellets with their new furry friends.

Bear with me just a little bit longer. Imagine you're one of these animals...come on, go with me on this. I mean, at first it seems like the good life. You get sweet accommodations, like your own fresh straw bed every night. And your job is to hang out with cute kids that feed you all day. Talk about having it made.

But maybe, just maybe, too much of a good thing can start to take its toll. How many pettings can a guy (I mean a goat) take? Ok, I'm rambling. The point is that if I were one of the animals in one of those petting zoos, I might just snap one day. You know, bite your kids finger off...or at least leave a mark. Enough is enough.

If there's one thing I've learned over the years is that being comfortable in our jobs, our surroundings our community is good...but to a point. It may just be my personality but every once in awhile I want to get away from the normal everyday mundane life, I want to explore, to think, to dream. I'd wager that you can relate with me on this, at some level. As guys, we can't be cooped up all day, every day. We were meant to be free, wild, imaginative and productive.
So if you're feeling like you're in a petting zoo and things seem nice and easy now, heed this warning and get out while you still can.

-brian