Children's Business Review

The Characteristics Of Extroverts Tend To Be Those Of Natural-Born Leaders. Adopting These Will Often Serve A Person Well, Particularly In Social Situations

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The Outgoing Ostrich

It is because they are among the wisest animals one is likely to come across that the forest’s creatures meet every two years and elect three owls to be members of the ‘Council of Owls’,  a body whose job it is to settle disputes that arise between the forest’s residents, whether the walk, slither or fly, and oversee the general goings-on in the forest. 

Prior to the election, every owl with a desire to be part of the Council  is provided with the opportunity to present to the entire forest, or rather those with an interest, the reasons why he or she should be chosen for the position. Clara was perhaps the youngest and most unlikely attendee at one of these meetings, held by a dozen owls, all vying for a position on the Council. 

After the meeting concluded, Clara spotted her friend Aris and the two decided to walk home together. Shortly after they set off, Aris turned to Clara and asked for her opinion of the meeting.

“Which owls do you find did a particularly good job at presenting their case to the group?” Aris asked.

Clara considered her response carefully. “I think that Hannah and Agustus made some interesting  points.  There wasn’t much of what Gilles said that I understood, and certainly nothing of what Arthur said that I agree with. And then Saul, he was just plain boring.” She remarked.

“Mmmh hmmm.” Aris responded as he waited for Clara to continue. 

“There were a lot of owls there who I really don’t remember.” Clara admitted. 

“And did you have a favourite?” Aris questioned.

“Oh yes!” Clara exclaimed. “Thomas was by far the best. He was so clever and said some very funny things. He always had a response to anything the other owls said and I liked the way he came and spoke with us, and almost everyone, before and after the meeting.” 

“I’m sure you’re not the only one impressed by Thomas.” Aris replied, somewhat cooly. 

“Do you not like him?” Clara asked with curiosity.

“It’s not that,” Aris responded. “In fact, I like him very much and think he’s a fine fellow. I only wish that some of the other owls, who you, and I’m sure many others, don’t remember as well, were more memorable.”

“You think that they are better candidates than Thomas?” Clara asked.

“In some ways yes, but I’m afraid that few will realize this as those owls didn’t want, or didn’t get a chance to shine in the spotlight like Thomas had.” Aris explained.

He continued. “Since we have some time before we make it home, why don’t I tell you a story about an ostrich I knew who, like Thomas, lived and thrived in the spotlight.”

******

The old man with a red nose and kind expression reached into a pen that was crowded with hatchlings and their slightly older brothers and sisters. Moments later, in a soft and soothing voice he spoke directly to the chick who was sitting contentedly in his hands. 

“I know exactly what I’ll name you,” He said to the chick who was staring at him, fascinated. “Frank, after my favourite performer.” 

In case you’re wondering, the old man arrived at the name Frank after watching the young ostrich run from here to there, chirping and putting on what one might have thought was a performance especially for the old man. Not surprisingly, this display set Frank apart from the other chicks and hatchlings and led to the old man choosing him, above all others, to take home. 

Now to be quite honest, the chick didn’t look like much of a Frank, in fact it didn’t look like much of anything besides a baby ostrich.  But, with no other name in contention, and with the chick showing no sign of protest at having been christened “Frank”, from that point on Frank was his name. 

As a young ostrich, Frank was familiar with a certain degree of chaos, after all; his former home was rife with other ostrich chicks running about pecking each other, new hatchlings were continually underfoot and one had to be wary of the oldest ostriches as they could be quite temperamental. All of this experience could hardly prepare Frank for the chaos he experienced on entering the old man’s house.

Within seconds of the old man having opened his front door and turning to hang up his hat, both he and Frank were greeted by three tabby cats who wound and laced their way between the old man’s legs. On realizing that the old man had returned, the home exploded with noise from every corner as various animals barked, mewed, quacked, whinnied, bleated or otherwise attemped to get the old man’s attention. 

To say that the old man’s house was full would be an understatement. Because of the old man’s loneliness and his love of animals it seemed quite natural for him to fill his life with as many animal companions as he could find until there was barely a corner, teacup, closet or bathtub that was not occupied by one creature or another. Shortly after adopting Frank, the old man realized that his home was too small to house all of these housemates. As he was not willing to part with any of them, the old man purchased a small farm at the edge of a quaint village and, promptly after moving in, set about turning the farm into a petting zoo. 

When you love what you’re doing, even the most strenuous work can be a joy. The old man found this adage to be true and, after a considerable amount of hard work and what would have been for anyone else, bother, the home the old man created for the animals and himself was very pleasant indeed.  

In addition to a charming little house, the small acreage boasted two barns. One was tiny and cherry-red and it was this barn which housed three curly-haired sheep and four good-natured alpacas. The second barn, slightly larger and rust coloured, provided a warm home to several tabby cats, a few squealing pigs and piglets and it contained a large rabbit hutch, home to an ever multiplying family of rabbits. 

By the time he was finished, the old man’s property was entirely fenced off and subdivided into a paddock for two llamas, three ponies, and a miniature donkey. A series of runs were built for the chickens and guinea pigs the old man so loved and the zoo’s ducks, geese and sandpipers competed for space in a small dug-out pond which the old man included as a final touch, not far from his house.

Now that you’ve heard where the alpacas, cats, donkey, rabbits and other animals lived, you might be wondering about Frank. Unlike all of the other animals, Frank’s home was not the cherry red barn, the rust coloured barn nor any of the outdoor pens. The old man set aside a special place in his house for Frank, as he certainly was the old man’s favourite companion, and it was said that on most evenings, Frank dined at the old man’s side and most nights slept on the floor next to the old man’s bed. 

What, you might ask, led to Frank, above all of the other animals, being the old man’s favourite? Well it certainly wasn’t because of his appearance as it must be admitted that Frank never was one to look at. Like all ostriches, Frank had a long pink neck and spindly legs but, due to the food and treats he was routinely provided, Frank was an uncharastically plump ostrich. No one would consider Frank’s small head and bill especially attractive and his black and white feathers, while a nice souvenir for any child who happened to spot one that Frank had shed, were hardly remarkable. While the reason is hard to pinpoint exactly, if one had to speculate, a safe guess would be that it was Frank’s magnetic and almost charismatic personality that drew the old man, and the zoo’s many visitors, to him above all others. 

In addition to his unique access to the old man’s house, Frank had free-run of the petting zoo which often meant that he was the center of attention, a status Frank thoroughly enjoyed. It was rare that a guest was welcomed to the zoo by an animal other than Frank and he had an innate ability to identify solitary visitors, particularly those who were lonely, and it often  seemed like he would escort those visitors around the acreage, leading them towards some of the zoo’s happier places. There’s no denying that despite everything it had going for it, the zoo’s most popular attraction was Frank. While you might think that the zoo’s other residents would be jealous of Frank, his popularity didn’t end with the petting zoo’s visitors as the other animals were also drawn to Frank’s outgoing personality and his constant desire to engage with them. 

As time went on, the petting zoo grew in popularity so much so that every spring, schools in the county would contact the old man and ask when they might book a visit. And if you were a particularly lucky boy or girl who lived in the area, you might hold your birthday party at the zoo, much to the dismay of the donkey who would invariably hide should the children invited seek to play ‘pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey’ with a real-life target. Years passed and some of the children who used to come to the farm with their parents now came with their own sons and daughters. The old man, by this time, had become a very old man and could often be seen leaning on Frank for support as he walked through the farm, visiting his animal friends. 

After many years, a change occurred in the ways that boys and girls entertained themselves. Rather than delighting in the outdoors, many turned towards indoor pursuits and were captivated by gadgets of all sorts. This quickly became apparent to the old man as he tallied up the admission fees and donations he received and balanced them against all of the expenses he incurred to keep the farm running and animals fed. Now the hardships facing the old man could easily have gone unnoticed by everyone until the very last moment when the old man was forced to close the petting zoo had Frank not become aware of things. 

Frank’s understanding of what plagued the old man was remarkable, but not unexpected. You see, after having spent so much time with the old man and having lived in his house for years, Frank understood much of what the old man said to others, and more often than not, what the old man was saying as he talked to himself. And if you are surprised to learn that Frank grew to understand what the old man and visitors to the petting zoo were saying, you’re about to be astonished as I can report, with certainty, that in the years he spent with the old man, Frank learned how to read, perhaps being the first and only ostrich in history to do so. 

How, it’s fair to ask, did Frank learn to read? Well this similar feat was due to the fact that the old man loved reading each night before bed and having no one else around for company, would read aloud to Frank. As Frank would often nestle in close to the old man when he was reading, over the years began to make a connection between what the old man was saying and the words on the page in front of them. And, as more time passed, Frank realized that he was not only listening and following along as the old man read, but was actually reading for himself. 

Getting back to our story, while not totally understanding the issues of debt, costs and spending, as the old man’s fortunes dwindled and the money coming in from the zoo decreased, Frank grew to understand, from listening to the old man talk to his bank manager and from seeing various papers that the old man left lying about, that the old man, the zoo and all of the animals were in quite a precarious situation. 

Upon coming to this realization, Frank got into the habit of leaving the zoo early each morning, before the old man and other animals had arisen, and would return home by midday, just in time for the zoo’s opening. 

For weeks this continued, however neither the old man nor the zoo’s animals noticed as they found themselves increasingly busy throughout the afternoon and early evening with a sudden influx of visitors to the zoo. 

It wasn’t long after Frank’s mysterious trips began that a palpable change happened at the zoo.. Now it wasn’t just an increase in the number of visitors, although that was certainly part of it, it was a feeling that was shared by the visitors, the old man and the zoo’s residents. Many likened the experience to seeing a long-lost friend and rekindling the relationship. And, to the old man’s relief, the zoo’s popularity never again waned nor was there ever a possibility of him having to give up the zoo and the animals he loved so dearly. 

Now you’re possibly wondering what caused the change in the zoo’s fortunes, and if you’re especially clever, have surmised that Frank’s daily outings had something to do with the zoo’s newfound success. I’ll let you in on what Frank was up to, and how he was ultimately, the petting zoo’s saviour.  

Every morning when Frank arose early and left the zoo he would visit the towns in the surrounding county and was soon a regular fixture walking down their main streets, stopping into the schoolyard to play with the children and dropping into the hospital for a quick visit. In fact, during his travels, Frank visited any place he knew he’d be able to draw a crowd who would recognize him, remember their love of the zoo and return to see him there, or having never seen him before, have their curiosity peaked enough to trigger their first visit to the zoo. As the weeks and months passed, Frank tirelessly travelled and entertained those he encountered along the way in an effort to secure the old man and the petting zoo’s future. 

The old man and the zoo’s animals never knew everything that Frank did for them, which suited Frank just fine. Despite all the effort it took him to improve their situation, Frank enjoyed this time as attracting and charming a crowd came naturally to him. And so with the zoo’s future assured, Frank’s outings drew to a close and he spent every day in comfort, welcoming the zoo’s many visitors and filled with the knowledge that he could never be more loved than he was by the old man and zoo family. 

******

“Aris, what do you think about people like Thomas and Frank?” Clara asked at the conclusion of his story. 

Aris was silent for awhile and it was clear that he was measuring his response to Clara. 

“I’m actually often envious of people like Thomas and Frank,” Aris admitted.

“Why’s that?” Clara asked, surprised at his response.

“I’m impressed that they are able, by the sheer force of their personality, to affect the behaviours of others as much as they do. And, while I sometimes feel that people like them get more attention than they deserve, I often find myself wishing that I could be just a little bit more like them.” 

“You know what?” Clara asked a now pensive Aris.

“What?” Aris asked as he turned to look his smiling friend in the face.

“You aren’t like Frank or like Thomas but you have your own special way of drawing people in and helping them. And besides all that, I wouldn’t have you any other way than you are right now!” Clara revealed. 

It was a while before Aris could speak, however the smile on his face in the meantime said everything that Clara needed to hear.