According to Wikipedia, Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street is a large, furry creature belonging to his own unique animal species called a Snuffleupagus. He looks like a cross between an elephant, a woolly mammoth, and a dinosaur.  I can relate, Snuffy.

I was tall as a Freshman in High School, so the feeling of being a lumbering mammoth rang true to the feeling of me feeling like a brachiosaur slowly stepping over things. Once puberty kicked in, I stated to grow hair to the point where I felt like a Sasquatch. And the older and grayer I get (except my eyebrows for some reason??) I get, the more I begin to feel like the proverbial dinosaur.

Elephant. Elephants are fiercely loyal and cannot thrive in total isolation. They rely on a tight-knit family structure for survival. I can associate with this after recent events, where I did not even realize that I needed that family (both relatives and acquired friends that became like family) knew how to best help me move through my grief. An elephant also possesses the power and size to do a lot of damage, yet choose gentleness balancing inner strength with intentional kindness. I have always tried to use my size for good, and to offer a gentle giant approach – like Bull from Night Court.

Wolly Mammoth. One of the main differences (physically) is the hair. While they had double layered coats of long hair, I just had a massive beard and was called a woolly mammoth all the time. At one point, I was Mammoth head with elephant body.

Dinosaur. Simply put, stiff joints and heavy footsteps. Lumbering, gigantic, and huge. The dinosaur emits deep, low-frequency infrasound to communicate dominance. I have been known to emits an deep grunt every time I sits down on a low couch or bends over to tie my shoes. Paleontologists find nests packed with fossilized twigs and stones meant for future use. I have an entire drawer of tangled, obsolete charging cables because “you never know when you’ll need a mini-USB.”

“Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully.” –Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

I like to think that I have learned a lot as I have aged. The people around me have been part of that journey and have helped shape who I am today. Every person, lifelong or momentary, teaches me something new. I know I am not perfect, nor am I trying to be, but I do appreciate each person who comes into my life to help me learn how to be less of a dinosaur and more of a woolly mammoth headed elephant.