Last week, I was taking a long walk through my neighborhood with my Seeing Eye dog, Carson, when we encountered a festival filled with happy kids and a carnival atmosphere. Navigating through wall-to-wall people is always a challenge, but I decided to brave it and we pressed on, hoping the sidewalk wouldnt be blocked.

Suddenly, Carson darted off the walkway, his nose aimed with an intensity that could only mean there was another animal nearby.

Frustrated, I pulled Carson back on track, only to have him get distracted by another smell on the opposite side. I was growing irritated with the crowd and Carsons behavior until a man behind me chuckled and said, Your dog is sniffing a llama! As far as I know, llamas are not indigenous to my neighborhood nor this continent, for that matter!

The man, still laughing, continued, The library is having a carnival and there is a petting zoo set up all along the street.

As Carson sniffed a baby donkey, I had a quick moment to think. At that point, I had two choices; I could have gotten angry at the unexpected distractions along my route, OR I could laugh at the pure oddity of a herd of exotic animals hanging out around the library! I chose the latter.

"Carson, thats a llama," I said, bending down to recapture his attention, "But dont worry, I wont be getting one as a pet!" I had to just laugh and shake my head in amusement at his sheer puppy behavior! After that laugh, even I couldnt be annoyed when, before we reached the end of the block, Carson had also sniffed out a goat, a pony and a variety of other creatures I doubt hed been exposed to during his short two years on this planet!

A lesson learned at the petting zoo: Take a moment to be amused, not frustrated, when things dont go as planned. If you look hard enough, youll probably find some humor in the adverse experience, too. A bit of humor lies in every situation. It is up to us whether we look upon the whole as a problem or a pleasure. Choose the pleasure you may just walk away with a great story!