“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James

When a powerful predator gives you the stare-down, it’s hard not to feel the itch of fight-or-flight. Just looking at these photos I took during our May visit to the Dallas Zoo makes me feel slightly more alert. I choose to think of it as being in the moment, not stressed or afraid.

But stress takes a toll, and sometimes I just need to shift my perspective and tell fight-or-flight to chillax already. There’s usually safety glass between us and the predators, anyway. Right? When those eyes popped open as I took these photos, I chose to keep taking pictures. If only I could maintain such calm when looking at my to-do list …