It’s staff development day at the zoo for Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. Seriously, this morning I was with my staff at the Houston Zoo, which is just steps away from our church. [At this point right here, of course, it would be appropriate to insert an ecclesiastical joke.]

Today wasn’t about brainstorming ideas for the future or pondering a calendar. It was an exercise in having fun together. But I did see this poster in a conference room there. Perhaps all churches should, at a very minimum, adopt zoo norms!

Perhaps you’ve been dragged to a brainstorming session or retreat at a conference center with your work colleagues. Maybe you had to choose what color of Post-it notes would highlight your brilliance as everyone slaps them on the wall to build a kaleidoscope of opinions. Maybe you put on safety gear and, with your heart racing out of control, stepped off a high platform on a zip line. Maybe you were merely given a box of crayons and glitter and glue and told to express yourself creatively.

Most of us have been there. Whether you loved it or hated it, this is your chance to write a haiku about that team-building experience. All your one verse needs is five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. Here’s mine:

This giraffe has read
the Houston Zoo norms: “Assume
positive intent.”