The Little Swan That Could

Yesterday I was reminded of the story of The Little Engine That Could. When I was at the Deep Water Pond Bridge at Connetquot River State Park, I watched a family of swans crossing under the bridge. There were a seasonally appropriate seven swans a-swimming, and each of them lowered its neck before swimming under the bridge except for one. When he came to the bridge he stopped and seemed slightly rattled by what he probably thought of as an impossible obstruction to get past.  Even when his entire family was swimming away on the other side of the pond, the lone swan seemed unable to muster up the courage to go forward. He honked to them but to no avail. It was frustrating to watch him, but I was rooting for him. It seemed as if he finally got the “I think I can” thought, and he lowered his head and went under the bridge. He swam away looking for his family members who had moved off quite a distance, but I did see that he managed to join them. That’s the power of positive thinking.