Run Your Own Race

Bixie’s friends patted her on the back and gave her encouragement.

“Give it your best shot” they said. “Just run as fast as you can,” they told her. “It’s okay if you don’t win, not everyone can win against a fast cougar.”

But Coug didn’t like that Bixie was racing against him. When he saw Bixie’s heavy shell, thick turtle legs, and clumsy feet, he knew that the race was not even worth running.

“Oh, come on!” Coug said angrily. “This is insulting! I can’t even believe that I’m expected to run a race against a turtle. Who ever heard of that anyway?”

“Probably in the whole wide world, there’s never been a time a slow turtle ran against a fast animal like a cougar,” Coug continued.  “That just doesn’t make sense.”

She felt shy, and her head sunk down a little into her shell. She could see that Coug was wearing sports clothes and running shoes, while she was wearing her favorite dress and regular shoes.

Maybe Coug was right, she thought.

Coug continued boasting and ran in a complete circle around the turtle girl.

“I’m so much faster than you,” he teased Bixie. “You can’t even catch up. And you know what? It’s going to be SO boring crossing the finish line and having to wait for YOU to finish.”

“Don’t quit, Bixie,” Teejah whispered to her. “Try your hardest.”