Running through the Sahara, eating the leaves from the tallest branch on trees, basking in the desert sun. None of these things relate to me, but they all are common activities of something I’ve always been compared to, a giraffe. Growing up I was always taller than my peers. Classmates, friends, whoever it may be, they always pointed out how tall I was. Most would just leave it at that, but some closer ones would often compare me to a giraffe. At the time, I never saw it, until I visited my local zoo.

At the zoo, there are many interactive activities for kids and families to participate in. One of these is feeding the giraffes vegetables, their primary diet. Seeing them from afar, I still really didn’t see the resemblance between me and these lengthy mammals. Yes they were extremely tall and towered over every other animal at the zoo, but that seemed to be the only similarity I saw. Looming over the exhibit, a sign that offered visitors the chance to feed the giraffes caught my eye. I asked my mother if we could do it, to which she hesitantly said yes. She paid the five dollar fee and I was helped up onto a 17ft ladder, putting me face to face with the giraffe. Trying not to look down, I grabbed the head of lettuce handed to me by the zookeeper by my side. I looked back up to see the giraffe staring at me face to face.

Yes it was summer, but the sun started to beam down on me like never before and I started to sweat. From the heat or in awe of the giraffe, I’ll never know. What I do know was that I had to feed this thing before this thing gets impatient. Nervously and slowly, I stuck out my hand with the head of lettuce in front. The giraffe still stared me dead in my eyes and made no movement, filling me with even more fear. As the lettuce and my hand inched closer, I began to wonder if it was even hungry. It was at that moment that, in one quick, graceful move it opened its mouth and used its long, purple tongue to snatch up the whole head of lettuce and chew on it. It was over in a blink and as much as I was shocked, I was relieved it hadn’t taken my hand off with the lettuce. As I was helped down and washed my hands, my mom approached me and asked “how was it,”? I replied with a concerned but thankful “it was interesting,”. I wasn’t really sure what to make of what just happened.

That whole experience at the time made me fear giraffes, but as I began to grow older I realized I learned something that day. I’m nothing like that giraffe. That giraffe was majestic, graceful and intimidating. It was confident with its movement and knew its purpose. All of these traits I lack and struggle to obtain. Physically yes, I may be tall like a giraffe and both of us are pretty fast, but on the inside we are nothing alike. I strived to become more like this mammal. While it may seem silly comparing my motivation and emotional traits to that of a giraffe, it helped me become a better person through and throughout. 

I understand where people are coming from, who looks up to a giraffe while there are plenty of extraordinary humans to look up to and role models all across the globe? Apparently me, that’s who. For some reason that interaction I had as a child resonated with me more than any public speaker or speech from a multi billionaire ever could. Maybe it was how much I had been compared to a giraffe growing up. Maybe it was my fascination with safari animals as a child, but I couldn’t shake the thought. 

When people compare me to a giraffe, they probably simply mean because of my poor balance or height. But when I hear me being compared to a giraffe, I take a different approach ever since that experience. I like to think about the personality traits giraffes have and what that one showed me in its presence. While I don’t believe I’ve developed these traits, it serves as a reminder to become a better version of myself whenever possible. People take on different spirit animals, and I like to think of mine being a giraffe. It may not be a common one or make sense to others, but I think through the comparisons and my experiences, it’s meant to be. 

Many people would believe being compared to a giraffe is an insult, which I can see and understand. An animal like a giraffe doesn’t have the reputation of the king of the jungle, like a lion. The giraffe isn’t as fast as a cheetah or as agile as a gazelle. It isn’t as big as an elephant or as fierce as a rhino. But a giraffe does the most with what it's provided. Being as tall as they are, it’s hard to put on the graceful and elegant strides they walk with. They take their role seriously, as the tallest in the jungle. Eating leaves from the top of trees and being able to drink from the lakes and ponds, giraffes can do it all.

From their versatility, to their gratefulness and confidence they walk with, comparing me to a giraffe doesn’t do the giraffe justice. These comparisons have led me to strive to be better, to improve and to be as versatile and as confident as they are. While I may not be getting any taller, my personality and what's on the inside is always changing and can always be better, and these mammals have given me new motivation to strive for what’s best for me and the people around me. 

As I write this essay I think back to my initial zoo experience with giraffes, and how scared I was of them, how desperate I was to get down from that platform and return to the blissful embrace of my mother. But through that very experience, I changed a lot. While many people may read this and not understand, or why I’ve chosen what seems like such a simple analogy and turned it into a much more complex and deeper meaning, I feel like these mammals have helped me become a better person, and shaped me into who I am today and who I will become tomorrow.