I saw an old friend today.
If calling her that is even accurate. She’s been there for me and vice versa. Heck, she is one of the strongest people I know and that I’ve felt like I can honestly relate to…to an extent. I miss her and I guess I wish that our friendship had never ended. I still love her like a slightly older sister and I want the best for her. I know she’s going to be an amazing mother. I wanted to talk to her, but I didn’t have the chance. Maybe we’ll get back in touch, maybe not. I know that I felt the need to remind her of how great of a person she really is, though. She has a heart of gold, regardless of what has happened. Maybe I’ll send her a message soon or something.
Penguins.
It’s hard to appreciate something that you have never had to experience in your life.
I’ve stated that penguins are my absolute favorite animal for years now. Their dedication for just one season and the risk that they take each and every year around the same time is truly inspirational. Emperor penguins travel that great distance, brave themselves against the cold and overall struggle to survive this astounding journey made to simply ensure the continuation of their species.
I don’t know about you, but not once have I had to go to that length for any significant other I have ever had. Yes, there are emotional roller coasters, memories made, the aspect of falling in love and eventual break ups; they take a toll on the human psyche and leave an impression on the heart. It doesn’t seem to matter if the relationship has reached one month or is at the five year mark, ‘love’ is a word tossed around more often than not. We’re all guilty of it. In that process, we’ve caused the definition and feeling tied in with that word to diminish over time.
Now, imagine that person that you are convinced you’re in love with. Imagine yourself. What if you had to risk your life to be with them? To be with them for only one season? I’m sure that the majority of people would drop their significant other in a heartbeat, though there are a few exceptions to this assumption. I, for one, doubt that I would be able to risk freezing to death, starvation or being eaten alive for a guy that I would only be with for a mere season.
I guess this is where my respect for penguins come into play, regardless of what sense this may make to you or not. Their dedication to one another in that season makes a fair amount of human relationships laughable; no matter how long they have been together. There is determination. There is trust. There is devotion. There is a bond created between those two penguins, one strengthened when it comes to sharing the responsibility of taking care of their egg and, eventually, chick. I don’t know about you, but I’ve encountered plenty of teenagers and some adults in “relationships” that don’t even hold a candle to this bond. Some that have been together for a few months, others a few years.
I want to have that kind of a bond for as long as I’m permitted to have it. For penguins, it’s only a season, but as humans we have the ability to make it last. There is more of a need for companionship than to procreate. Isn’t that enough motivation to treat your relationship to the degree that penguins do? Of course you will probably never have to withstand that hazardous journey that they experience. If anything, the trials that each relationship faces are pretty easy in comparison. Penguins may not understand the concept of love, but yet their actions almost define it, in my opinion. We do understand the concept of love, or at least we try our best to…shouldn’t we define it in our relationships as well?
This summer, I’ll be away from my boyfriend of almost two years for nearly three months. If you know us, then you can sympathize when I say that the longest we’ve been apart is about two weeks. It’s going to be difficult in some aspects and I’m going to miss him…but I find strength in my favorite animal. They go through far much more than either of us will have to over those few months, yet at the end of it they part ways. I have the luxury of returning home and seeing his face again, continuing our relationship. I know that distance won’t cause our relationship to collapse and will benefit us, if anything.
Penguins will always have a special piece of my heart and my utmost respect. They’ve taught me a life lesson, even though they know nothing about humans, our culture or our how we function. This is why I think they’ll remain my favorite animal and serve as a reminder of how it really should be between two people that genuinely care for one another. That doesn’t mean that everything will work out perfectly—-there will still be icy paths and other obstacles to face—-, but it does mean that if that bond is strong enough…it can and will face anything. It can and will last.
-A.M.D.
Even if it’s only for a season, they’re devoted to each other.
They go through hell and back.
<3 Much respect.
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