Wild Animals
Sometimes life throws you curve balls. Our journey is often unpredictable. It can be exhilarating one moment then full of obstacles the next. We all just play the hand we’re dealt the best we can.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”
The wild animal round in Elephant in the Room was integrated into the game to provide comic relief.
If there is one thing life has taught me and my patients continue to teach me every day, is that laughter is medicinal.
There’s nothing more cathartic then having a good belly laugh with those you love. In that moment, everything dissolves except for that moment. Times of deep laughter can be some of the only moments when we are truly present. We are not preoccupied with tomorrow or yesterday. We are fully submersed in place in time.
Choosing the animal for the wild card took several rounds of going back and forth between the illustrator Pam Kraft and I. Because of her genius visionary powers, I left the final decision up to her whatever was sparking her inspiration.
What animal do you think it is? Here’s a few clues:
Found in Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, & Brunei
Can rotate it’s head like an owl (360 degrees)
One of the biggest eyes to body ratio in the animal kingdom
Extremely long fingers and toes
Head and body length 10-15cm
Tail length 20-25cm
That’s as tiny as mouse!
Can live about 24 years in the wild
Any guesses? How about a little creature known as a Tarsier?
“I’m aware that what I’m about to say may well ignite sectarian conflict within the Star Wars fan community, but I’m pretty sure I know what the inspiration for Yoda was.”
Every time you draw a card with this little guy on it it you keep it in your hand until you want to play it for a wild animals round.
Let’s get wild!
When a player plays a wild card they choose any animal of their choice (can be any animal, not just those in the game) and tell the group out loud. The other players have 7 seconds to sketch it. When 7 seconds is up, the player closes their eyes and someone shuffles the animal sketches and gives them back to player. The player picks their favorite animal sketch. The person who sketched the animal gets to keep their animal sketch for points at the end. Each worth 1 point.
Sounds inconceivable! Sketch an animal in 7 seconds? That’s the point. It’s ridiculous and the animals that emerge are just as ridiculous. The giggles that arise are even more so.
The idea to integrate this into the game came from a long hike deep in the Colorado Rockies. A big thank you to my partner, to listening endlessly about the creation of the game and for the brilliant idea of the wild animals round!
Here’s Pam Kraft’s inspiration - The Elephant in the Room Tarsier.
The Wild Animal Card