I am the Kangaroo and the kangaroo is me. I am known for my muscular tail,
amazingly strong back legs, large feet, short fur, and my cute pointed ears.
You might be wondering what is a typical day like for me? Some would think that
I usually just hop around all day in the Australian plains, but that is not the
case. I love to spend quality time with my mob. My mob consists of other
kangaroos that I consider family. We always look after each other and always protect
each other from danger. When I am not with the mob I enjoy resting in the shade
during the hotter parts of the day, because a girl needs her rest. I like to
lick myself to keep cool so I won’t
will not get too hot. I may enjoy relaxing, but don’t do not underestimate me.
I am fast and can hop up to 40 mph miles per hour. So, whenever you are ready
to race I will be ready. When I am going fast enough I can jump up to 10 ft
feet high. I can also swim by rotating my hind legs. When I am hungry I enjoy
eating grass, flowers, leaves, ferns, moss, and the occasional insect. If you
did not know, I am an herbivore. In order to make sure I completely break my
food down, I regurgitate my food and chew it again before I finally digest it.
As much as I love to roam around with my friends my main priority is to be a
great mother. After being pregnant for around approximately 21 to 38 days, I
can give birth up to 4 babies. Even though that is not likely, but hey it is
possible. When my baby is born it is anywhere from .2 to .9 inches. After my
joey is born my main job is to provide and nurture my baby. I will care for my
joey in my pouch from 120 to 450 days until my baby is ready to go out on its
own. There is nothing I would not do for my baby. Typically, my baby will
urinate and poop in my pouch. Most of the time the lining in my pouch takes
care of most of the mess, but sometimes I have to insert my snout into the
pouch and use my tongue to clean it out.
I will protect my baby from any harm or danger and will always put them
first. As much as I love spending quality time with my baby, they do grow up
quickly. By as early as the age of 2 and as late as the age of 4, my baby will
be fully matured. There is a lot that goes on in my life and there is nothing I
would not do for my mob and my babies! Us kangaroos, are very unique. For
example, we have excellent hearing. I can move my ears in
any direction without having to move my head. Can you do that? We are the only
large animals that use hopping as our main source of transportation. Isn’t that
cool? When threatened I am not afraid to fight to protect the ones I love. My
defense mechanism is usually to kick my opponent. When I am really fired up,
sometimes I even bite them. I don’t do not want you to think we are mean though.
wWhen you see my hopping
along the street, don’t do not be afraid to say hi. I am very friendly and I
will always give a nice warm hello back! Did you know that there are more of us than humans in
all of Australia? I think it is time we start taking over. You are probably
thinking that all Kangaroos are the same, but that is not true. We are all
different and there are several different types of species. For example, there
are the red kangaroos, eastern grey kangaroos, the western grey kangaroos, and the
antilopine kangaroos. The most common of us
are the red kangaroos and the smaller of us are the wallabies. That’s That is what
I am origin, a cute wallaby. I love being a kangaroo and I am so blessed that
God picked little ol’ me to be one.
“Owning up to being an animal, a creature of
earth. Tuning our animal senses to the sensible terrain. Becoming earth.
Becoming animal. Becoming in this manner, fully human.” When I first learned
that I would have to discover my spirit animal, I was not sure what to expect.
When I checked out the book, “Animal Speak”, from the library the first chapter
I started with was “Awakening to Your Spirit Totems.” What I really liked about
this book was where it said, “We can use animal totems and their images to learn
about ourselves and the invisible world. We do not have to believe that these
images and totems are beings of great intelligence, but there is an archetypal
power that resides behind, oversees, and manifests through these creatures.”
This quote from the book made me look at this whole process a completely
different way. It was not just about picking some random spirit animal from the
book, but about discovering an animal I could truly learn from. A quote that
also stood out to me from “Animal Speak”, was “As you begin to identify and
recognize your animal totems, you will begin to understand your life more
effectively.” This is huge considering I am a freshman still trying to
understand my purpose here on earth and my calling. I hope that through my animal,
I can discover that purpose. The kangaroo is an animal that spoke to me on my
journey to discovering my spirit animal. I have always dreamed of traveling to
Australia and seeing the kangaroos. I realized that kangaroos have been a part
of my life in more ways than I originally thought. One of my favorite shows
growing up was Winnie the Pooh. One of my favorite characters was a kangaroo
named Kanga and her baby Roo. Kanga was very nurturing to Roo and always made
sure Roo was taken care of. Kanga was really funny, kind, calm, and cared about
the well-being of Winnie and her friends. With Kanga being one of the few
female characters on the show, she was definitely one that caught my attention
as a child. My friends and family have always told me I was a very nurturing
person, so without realizing it I was connected to Kanga. When discovering my
Spirit Animal, I asked my friends and family what their opinions were. I got
received several different answers, but when my friend told me a kangaroo that
really stuck resonated with me. After doing some research and really giving it
some thought, I realized that I had discovered my spirit animal.
There are many things I admire about the
Kangaroo. Although I am not an exact match to the Kangaroo, at the end of this
experience I hope that I will learn a lot along the way. One thing I admire
about the Kangaroo is her strength. The speed that a kangaroo can travel at and
how high they can jump is a huge example of their strong legs. One of my
personal goals is to gain muscle in my legs. I hope with working out and eating
right I can achieve this personal goal. Another symbol of strength in the
Kangaroo, is the ability for her to carry her joey in her pouch while they are
developing. This is something I hope to exemplify when it is time for me to
carry a child in the future. Another factor that goes into the Kangaroo’s speed
is their stamina. Stamina is something that has always been a constant battle
for me. Whether it is during a workout or doing homework, I realize that it is
something I need to work on. The ability to be able to push through a challenge
with confidence and strength is a goal that I hope to achieve this year. The
Kangaroo is also very nurturing when it comes to her joey and her fellow
kangaroos. Any mother that allows her baby to urinate and poop on her is a very
kind and nurturing mother. Even though I do not allow anyone to urinate on me,
I hope I am nurturing in other ways. I can do that by being there for my
friends and helping others in any way I can. Another trait I admire about the
Kangaroo is their ability to adapt. It is said that kangaroos do extremely well
with adapting to new environments. This is something I am in the process of
improving on. Being in a new environment has had its challenges, but it
something that I think I have managed pretty well. but I am looking forward to
improving as the year goes on progresses. I can learn about generosity from my
amazing spirit animal. A kangaroo always protects and looks out for their mob.
In order to do that they must be both selfless and generous. Any person that
can do this is The people in which I make sacrifices for are those I want to be
around and have in my corner. I also hope that other people will consider me a
generous person who is always there available for them when they need it. Along
with being generous, Kangaroos are also very protective. Protecting the ones
you love is something I can respect about any animal or human. A kangaroo will
always protect her joey no matter what. By The joey remaining in her pouch this
shows signifies just how much she cares and what she is willing to do to
protect her baby. I am very protective over my family and my friends. If
anything happened to them, I would be devastated. This is something that the
kangaroo and I have in common. Because the The fact that kangaroo is very
protective over their family, shows they are very family oriented. Like the
Kangaroo my family means the world to me. My mom, dad, and brother are my
greatest joy, inspiration, motivation, and friends. I know that no matter what
happens to me in my life they will always be there for me. One thing I do
struggle with is my ability to stay focused. It is said that kangaroos are very
focused animals. When doing my homework or even doing a simple task, I usually
get distracted very easily. I start singing in my head, looking at my phone, or
talking to a friend. Due to this, I usually try to go to the library to study
and eliminate any distractions that I may have. Hopefully this is something I
can learn from the Kangaroo and my ability to focus will improve. Since we know
that the Kangaroo is very family-oriented and protective it is no surprise that
the kangaroo is known to be aggressive. It is always good to have a little aggression
in your soul. If you do not go after what you want and push yourself, you will
remain stagnant. This can apply to your studies, relationships, career, and
many different areas of your life. I have the ability to be aggressive, but
sometimes it takes a little motivation to get it out of me. I hope that as time
goes on, I can learn to be aggressive and go after the things I want in life.
It is said that “if a kangaroo hops into your life, you should prepare for an
adventure and change.” (http://www.shamanicjourney.com) The kangaroo totem teaches me that you
should leap into the unknown without fear.
1. Ted
Andrews, Animal Speak The spiritual & magical powers of creatures Great
& Small (Llewlynn Publications, 1993)
3.
“Kangaroos”, accessed September 27, 2016,
http://www.downundr.com/facts/interesting-fun-facts-about-kangaroos
4. David
Abram, Becoming Animal (Random House Inc. New York 2010)
Page count : 6 pages
Word count with quotes: 1,975
Word count without quotes: 1,797
