Gerald the giraffe was a very polite giraffe, but also a very worried giraffe. He lived in a sunny savanna filled with tall acacia trees, trees bursting with the most delicious, bright green leaves. The problem was, Gerald was still growing! He wasn’t quite as tall as the other giraffes, and the best leaves were always just… out of reach.
Every day, Gerald would stretch his long neck, reaching and reaching, but he could only nibble the leaves lower down. They were tasty enough, but he dreamed of the sweet, juicy leaves at the very top. He’d watch his friends, Ginny and George, munch happily on those leaves, and a little sigh would escape his lips.
“Oh dear,” he’d say to himself. “I’ll *never* be tall enough.” He started to believe he simply wasn’t meant to enjoy the best leaves. He’d spend his days feeling glum, even when the sun was shining.
One afternoon, Old Man Fitzwilliam, the wisest giraffe in the savanna, noticed Gerald’s sadness. He ambled over, his long legs moving slowly and gracefully. “What troubles you, young Gerald?” he asked kindly.
Gerald explained his problem, how he couldn’t reach the best leaves and how it made him feel. Old Man Fitzwilliam listened patiently, then smiled. “Gerald,” he said, “reaching for something takes more than just a long neck. It takes belief in yourself. And a little bit of practice!”
“Practice?” Gerald asked, tilting his head. “But I’ve been reaching all day!”
“Not practice with worry, Gerald,” Old Man Fitzwilliam chuckled. “Practice with *positive* reaching. Every day, stretch a little further, and tell yourself, ‘I *can* reach!’ And don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Gerald decided to try. The next day, he stretched his neck, but this time, instead of thinking, “I’ll never reach,” he thought, “I can reach a little higher today!” He stretched and stretched, and while he still couldn’t reach the very top leaves, he reached a few leaves higher than yesterday.
He also remembered Old Man Fitzwilliam’s advice about asking for help. Ginny and George were happily munching on the top leaves. Gerald, feeling a little shy, asked, “Could you maybe… reach a few of those leaves for me? Just a small bunch?”
Ginny and George were delighted to help! They carefully plucked a few of the juiciest leaves and offered them to Gerald. “Here you go!” said Ginny. “They’re the sweetest ones!”
Gerald tasted the leaves. They were even more delicious than he’d imagined! He realized that even if he couldn’t reach them himself *right now*, he could still enjoy them with a little help from his friends. And with every day of positive reaching, he grew a little taller, a little stronger, and a little more confident.
Soon, Gerald wasn’t just reaching for the leaves; he was reaching for his dreams. And he discovered that believing in himself, practicing with a positive attitude, and accepting help from others could help him reach anything he set his mind to. As the sun set, Gerald munched happily on a leaf he’d reached all by himself, a happy giraffe indeed.