I’m a fan of playing in the snow. Many humans and animals feel the same, as demonstrated by a giant 275-pound male Panda named Tian Tian.
After a winter blizzard on the east coast, Tian Tian provided quite a photo op at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. He attacked the snow with gusto, batted it with his paws, rolled down hill, landed belly up, shook his shoulders, and licked the snow like an ice cone. Oh, the sheer ecstasy!
His revelry reminded me of my daughters as young girls hurrying to change clothes after school to play in a fresh snowfall. All sorts of options awaited them on the hills outside, such as sliding, digging a snow tunnel, or creating snowmen. Of course, part of the ritual had to include hot chocolate when they came inside.
Tian Tian also reminded me of all the golden retrievers I’ve loved across the years. Tails wagging like bobble figures on steroids, they took snow delight to a whole new level, romping, diving, and digging noses deeply into snow banks, then emerging with snow-packed muzzles. Does anyone else get a kick out of dog angels in the snow?
Do you know why Pandas love snow? Because it’s in their nature. What about kids? Fun’s easy for them. And golden retrievers? Well, I don’t know much about DNA in dogs, but I’m guessing snow-digging genes line up somewhere.
As we go about the business of life, every so often it’s good to let ourselves relax like a big, old Panda bear rolling down a snow-drenched hill. That way we can taste joy any time we want.
Call it DNA. Call it abandonment. Call it instinct.
But whatever you call it, let go, dig, dive, and romp to your heart’s content.
Think of Tian Tian and “bear” your imagination. Fun intended…
Copyright © Marianne McDonough 2018