One sunny day, Lisa was sitting in the backyard watching a snail slowly crawl over the damp ground left after the rain. Its shell shone beautifully in the sun, and Lisa admired its smooth, slow movements. Suddenly, an unusual idea popped into her head: “What if we hold a snail race?”

Lisa ran to her friends who were playing nearby. She eagerly shared her idea, and the kids were immediately excited. They began searching for snails all over the yard. Each child picked a “racer,” gave it a name, and promised to cheer for their little snail friend. Lisa chose what she thought was the prettiest snail, with a dark spiral pattern on its shell, and named it Spiral.

The kids prepared a racecourse: they drew a starting line and a finish line a short distance away, which seemed small to them but was a real challenge for the snails. They carefully placed their snails on the starting line on the ground.

“All right, let’s begin!” announced Lisa, raising her hand like a real judge. “On your mark… Get set… Go!”

All the snails began moving slowly but purposefully toward the finish line. Each snail crawled forward at its own pace, and the kids watched closely, encouraging them as if the snails could hear. Lisa watched her Spiral with anticipation; although it was slower than the others, it was moving steadily.

Lisa’s grandfather happened to walk by, and seeing the kids holding a race, he couldn’t help but smile. He stopped and asked:

“What kind of competition do we have here? A snail race?”

“Yes, Grandpa!” Lisa answered joyfully. “We’re having a real race, and each snail has its own coach!”

Grandpa chuckled and wished all the “athletes” good luck, and the kids continued to watch the race. The snails were slowly approaching the finish line, and Lisa realized that Spiral might not make it there first. She felt a little disappointed but then thought: the important thing is participating, not winning.

One of the snails, chosen by Lisa’s friend Max, was getting close to the finish line. The kids began cheering loudly, and finally, it crossed the finish line. Max jumped with joy and shouted:

“My snail won! We’re the champions!”

But Lisa wasn’t upset that her Spiral didn’t come in first. She went over to her snail, patted its shell, and said quietly:

“It’s okay, Spiral. You did great too! We showed that you don’t have to be first to have fun.”

The other kids cheered Lisa on, and together they agreed that they would definitely hold another race soon and make even more interesting tracks for the snails. They even thought about how to improve their coaching skills and take good care of their snail “athletes.”

That evening, when Lisa went home, she told her parents about how the race had gone. Her mom and dad praised her for her creativity and her ability to enjoy the process, not just the result.

And so ended the story of the first snail race, in which Lisa learned to accept defeat with a smile. She realized that the most important things are participating, friendship, and the joy of spending time together. Now, she couldn’t wait for the next race because her Spiral was definitely ready for more competition!