A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE AT THE AOG - DAY 8

There was peace and quiet in the bedroom of the snail contingent last night and they had obviously taken their pep talk from Sammy very seriously - there was some drinking but of the non-alcoholic kind to ensure that there were no hangovers again this morning.

I got a good night’s sleep too, because I knew that I would have to be up early to try and get some interviews before the Special Obstacle Race got underway. The referees had decided that as it was due to be a very hot day, the race would start at 8 a.m. which didn’t thrill some of the younger snails, but Shaun - yes, he who made all the fuss yesterday - told them that they should remember Sammy’s pep talk and especially the bit at end when he said "Together Everyone Achieves More".  Reluctantly, therefore, they slithered off to bed and it was obvious from the snoring that they went to sleep quite quickly.

This morning, as I walked down to snails’ dressing room, I could hear someone singing in the shower - and when I got in there, was very surprised to find out that it was Shaun.  It seemed as if Sammy’s pep talk had awakened something in him and as he walked out of the shower, I asked him what had caused this huge change in his attitude.  He said that he had never been called a “snivelling snail" before and he was determined to make his Mum proud, so he was determined to be a “super slithering snail".  Isn’t it amazing what a few home truths do?

The younger snails were still very tired - and moping around - being teenagers, they didn’t often get up before midday and to have to get up at 7 a.m. had really upset them.  They just kept moaning and groaning until Sammy told them that if they didn’t stop they wouldn’t even get onto the starting line of the S.O.R.  I can’t say that shut them up, but at least they just mumbled under their breath - but most teenagers do that anyway and are generally ignored!

I did have a quick word with Sammy, who said that he was pleased that the attitude of the team had changed and he was sure they would do well in the S.O.R.  He was especially pleased that Shaun had had a complete change of attitude and he even felt that if he put his mind to it, he could win.  I asked Sammy if he would be upset if Shaun won, but as gracious as ever, he said that he didn’t mind at all, and if Shaun’s attitude had changed for good, then it would be worth it.

Siegfried, Sebastian, Sterling, Stuart, Sergio, Sasoona and Solomon were all raring to go and told me that they were honoured to be part of this wonderful team and they were also determined to become “super slithering” snails.  They were amazed that Shaun was so different this morning and could only put it down to the fact that the pep talk Sammy had given them all last night had really had an impact on Shaun.

Once at the starting line, it was obvious that the teenagers were not going to take part but just sulked and kept muttering about the fact that it was too early, but the others just ignored them and left them behind as they all slithered towards the obstacles and prepared themselves to either go over or around them.  

Sometimes in our lives, it is easier to go right over an obstacle, but at other times, it is much easier to go around it, even though it may take longer and it was obvious that the snails made their decision when they reached the obstacle.  You can see at the top right that Siegfried had decided to go over the obstacle, but Sterling, having realised that the object was rather prickly, tried it, but then decided to go a different route.  Solomon, with all his wisdom, slithered over one of the teenagers, who didn’t even notice!

However, the SURPRISE of the race was Shaun - who had been quietly slithering along, going OVER one obstacle and then AROUND another, until he reached the finish line - what a trouper and what a reception he got from all the others waiting there!  He even left his mark on the Finish sign, just to let everyone know that HE had won the race.  

After the race, Shaun was surrounded by all his friends, who told him how proud they were to see he had changed things around in his life - and then, to his amazement, he looked up and saw his Mum and Dad in the crowd, just in front of him.  They jumped over the barrier and slithered towards him, his Mum gave him a great big hug and told him how proud she was of him - and to his horror, kept kissing him, but his Dad just smiled and said quietly,  “Well done, son, we knew you could do it!”   After the pep talk last night, Shaun had rung them to say he was determined to “step up to the mark” so they had travelled all through the night so that they could cheer Shaun on.  What a wonderful day!  

Once she had stopped kissing him, I did manage to get a quick interview with Shaun’s Mum;  she told me that he often got angry about things, and then did something stupid, but she was so glad that Shaun had taken notice of what Sammy had said last night and had changed his attitude.  As she remarked, it can be done and Shaun was proof of that!

“If you don’t like something,
     change it.
If you can’t change it,
     change your attitude.”
Maya Angelou