OyChicago blog

Have you ever thought about what type of animal you would be? Not in terms of similarity in appearance, but in terms of behavior and personality? I really had never given much thought to this, but my boyfriend recently asked me this question as we were strolling through the Shedd Aquarium. I had to give it some thought, and a few minutes later, I decided on a Cheetah because they’re swift and seemingly graceful animals. I associated with the cheetah because I feel like I can address issues quickly, and move on through my life gracefully. Plus, the cheetah has a beautiful fur coat. We chatted about my new animal persona for a minute, had a few laughs, and then moved on to the penguins and belugas.

As random as the question may have sounded at the time, I’ve continued to consider my answer over these past few weeks, and the whole idea of “which animal would you be” has caused me to start considering my personality and behavior more deeply. In preparing to write to you Oy!sters today, I did some research on cheetahs, and realized that in many ways, I’m actually opposite of a cheetah. You see, although beautiful and fast, cheetahs are only fast (the fastest animal in the world) for short distances, and are not built for long distance running. I happened to run distance track and cross-country in high school and appreciate the ability to build up that type of stamina and endurance. In distance running, I actually developed a deeper relationship with myself, as I learned my potential and limits. Also, cheetahs do not easily adapt to new environments and female cheetahs are isolationists; they live alone and avoid each other. I, on the other hand, LOVE change and value my ability to adapt to different situations. I am also very social and love spending time with my girlfriends. I would go crazy with all of that alone time.

So, now I’m back to the drawing board to come up with my animal alter ego. I know this may sound silly, like who cares? But in fact, this little project my boyfriend gave me has helped me to think about myself in a deeper way than I do on a regular basis— something I appreciate and am enjoying.

What animal would you be?