Inspired by penguins

Back in my highschool days I responded to a simple questions in a way that would have a significant impact on the rest of my life. And I spend the decades since that moment trying to find out if there is some hidden meaning behind that. It's about penguins but before diving into the results, lets start with the question and subsequent answer.

At my 4th birthday (being from 29th of February, that's becoming 16 years old) I ended up in a situation where all my 30 classmates intended to visit my house for my birthday party. With all the stress incurred by that event, I never anticipated the easiest question of all: "What kind of present can we get for your birthday?". In a strike of panic the only thing I came up with: "Don't bother, any penguin is OK!".
As it turns out, there are penguin napkins, penguin towels, penguin mugs, wooden penguins, penguin puppets, penguin posters, penguin pictures and penguin postcards in abundance. And since then the penguin played a dominant role in my life especially around birthdays.

But why the penguin? Without any professional counseling, there is no final answer to be given. Obviously I like penguins a lot, especially the emperor penguin although not to the level of dedication of people like Bruno Zehnder and Luc Jacquet. To a certain extend I can even relate to penguins. When you see them walking they are (and I say this with the deepest appreciation) a bit clumsy as you would probably expect from a bird who lost the ability to fly. The moment they hit the water however you can really see what these creatures have spend their evolution on: in the water they become swift and graceful which clearly indicates the ocean is their preferred habitat. But when nature calls, the emperor penguins gather back on the hazardous land of the South Pole to lay their eggs and tend to their young. The level of cooperation between the sexes and the amount of team-work is an inspiring example for us all.

So whenever I feel uncomfortable, ill-adapted or socially challenged, I take comfort in the penguin. There may be an habitat out there where my habits, skills and preferences fit perfectly. And even if I haven't found my prime element yet, the penguin encourages me to keep looking.

ERegoS