Otters are adorable.  Not only are they fluffy and slightly spastic, but they're also freaking smart.  I identify with otters-- I'm spastic, fluffy, and freaking smart.  So, when they're born they know almost nothing.  They can float.  That's about it aside from eating, sleeping, and pooping.  Everything they know about life, excluding the whole floating thing, they have to pick up from their moms.

So, everything otters do in life, they've learned.  If they choose not to learn or don't have a mom to show teach them, they fail to thrive.  If they learn well, then they thrive.  They succeed.  They can dive down to the bottom of the ocean, grab their food, crack the shells open (usually with some sort of rock or tool--again, so smart!), and avoid sharks.  They have a better chance of being an awesome otter.

I guess, in that regard, otters are a lot like humans.  Humans are born knowing nothing.  We have to learn everything we know about life from the adults around us.  We can eat, sleep, and poop when we first exist, but our ability to thrive is dependent on the abilities of people around them teaching them.  Beyond that, our ability to be successful humans is dependent on our willingness to learn.  If we choose not to learn, we fail to thrive.  If we choose to learn, we can succeed. Learning new things is our ticket to safety and success. It's our best chance of being an awesome human!

Be an otter.

Keep on thinking,
Josie