I had an unexpected experience in a public restroom the other day. No, I’m not going to tell you a bathroom joke or something inappropriate; you wouldn’t think what happened often occurs in that setting.

Standing at the urinal, I heard a voice singing from inside one of the stalls.

“Weeheeheehee, dee heeheeheehee, weeoh aweem away

“Weeheeheehee, dee heeheeheehee, weeoh aweem away.”

Those of you old enough might recognize these opening lyrics from “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” by the Tokens.

Then the voice from the stall went silent.

“Is that all you got?” I shouted. The voice came to life again.

“A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh

“A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh

“A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh

“A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh.”

With no plan or thought about what I would say or do next, I took a breath and opened my mouth to sing.

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.” Suddenly, the man with the voice appeared from the stall and broke onto the next verse.

“In the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight.”

Then on an understood cue we harmonized the next verse together, impressing ourselves. We washed and dried our hands. We shook hands and walked out, never to see each other again.

So I drove home thinking more about the words to this classic tune than the impromptu duet in the restroom. Ordinarily lions sleep during the day and feed at night, but not this one in the song. He is the king of the jungle and feared by man and beast alike, yet this one is asleep at night.

Fear of the dark and the presence of danger are gone for the moment. The village people relax and are at peace. If the lion is a symbol for fear, we can honestly say that we all have lions that frighten us, lions that prohibit opportunities to live our lives more fully. For many of us, our lions stand in the way of change and growth and movement from an unsettled past.

Change! This is the current outcry from life coaches, psychologists and motivational speakers all across this country. Have no fear, Throw away your past. Re-create yourself. Dare to stare the lion down, Walk right past the slumbering animal into a new life of happiness and joy.

Yet, our lions lie in our paths for good reasons, too. What if we ignore their danger and jump into a risky change of life only to learn later that what we did was create another ugly past we need to forget. So we change again and again until we need to ask ourselves, “Will changing my life ever bring me to a point in time when I no longer have to change my life?”

Time is your enemy. The lion still sleeps. Hurry up. Run into the new you before he wakes.

I hear of people who change their lives like they’re changing their clothes. They continue to move from one place to another, quit and start jobs frequently, and begin and end relationships with a built in on/off switch they have inside their hearts.

Everyone advocates healthy change, but I wonder if pushing out of the cocoon into a completely new metamorphosis is always wise. Holding onto a brick of the foundation from past experiences will help build a hybrid of the old you combined with the new you.

A major theme blasting out from the megaphones of the “change yourself” gurus is to take complete control of your life so you don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Who wants to laugh with me during that pep rally? When I first believed in these words I thought that I could will my way into whatever I want to do with my life and be the man in charge. Much of my time is spent reacting to circumstances that are out of my ability to control. My friend says, “It’s always something.” We cannot impose our will on the world to live exactly the life we want.

I have gathered wisdom from my study of great thinkers and from personal life trial and error.

The sleeping lion keeps us cautious and aware. Not rushing to the other side of the street might be a good thing. We might discover that the grass is not as green as it is in our dreams.

Respect the lion rather than fear him. Leaving a job without having the promise of another or ending relationships with family members or friends who had provided a sense of stability and security could result in regret for the long term.

Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.

You can wear new clothes when you become the new you, but put on that old pair of shoes. Lift your head into the clouds and dream the changes you want, but keep a part of you inside something familiar. You can still touch the stars with your feet on the ground and an eye on the lion that sleeps tonight.

Rich Strack can be reached at katehep11@gmail.com.