We are seldom ill, but We do waver, now and again. No pharmacies in the Wild, so our communication skills with plants are essential. We stagger forth, searching for just the right thing, and with time and luck, a plant will volunteer to help Us out.
And now you know most of what you need to about medicine as it is practiced where We live.
Where you live, matters seem more ornate. But what do We know?
We are always surprised when We are described as “fat”. Fat seems to have a nasty connotation for you, though for Us it would be a sign of unusual good fortune. It would suggest that there was more-than-enough to eat.
We eat a great deal, but it is to sustain ourselves. When a critter is big, big portions seem like a no-brainer. Gotta keep chewing. Much of what We eat is low in nutrients, so We need even more to keep the fiddle in tune, as it were.
Offhand We can’t think of any critter in the Wild that is fat, unless preparing for hibernation. For Us, eating is not an indulgence, but part of self-preservation. Life in the Wild helps Us keep our focus.
What We are is Statuesque.
We are aware that you may think of Us as prim or starchy, perhaps a wee bit stately. Our serene exteriors are easily misinterpreted.
Such qualities would imply an internal regimentation which would preclude our Artistic Core from breathing free. We must be comfortable with our Potential, shifting our rhythms, caroling our centers, and perfuming our hours.
So, that placid façade reflects only a tip of the R Iceberg. Get downwind of Us, and a panoply of revelations will make themselves available to you. We promise.
Not all Rhinos are swimmers, probably because those of Us that live in Africa don’t get much pool time. In Africa there are both hippos and crocodiles slinking around; neither gang is good at sharing. What they are good at is biting.
In Asia, there is a lot more uncontested water to soak in. And We do, almost every day, soak that is. A few happy hours swanning around and nibbling whatever is growing on the bank. A little gossip with neighboring Rhinos. Delightful.
As you can imagine, the relief from the tropical heat is welcome. Our Big skins need Big attention, and the water is soothing. Also, ticks do not like water. Bye bye, you little stinkers.
Each branch of our family has particularities, adaptations to where We live and what We’re up to. The core is pure Rhino, but the details vary. We are all the same, and each unique. Weird.
We don’t know how Nature keeps track of it all.
We hear that making a good first impression is a Good Thing. That said, there are lots of reasons one may not be in peak form when encountering strangers. It can be as simple as a bad hair day, over which this Sumatran has obviously triumphed. Or as complex as indigestion or misplaced mojo.
Whatever, one does not need to look great; it is an unrealistic assignment for anybody. Who is to be pleased? Why concern yourself with the judgments of these random critters? Who is being fooled? We find that when the adolescent need to please goes off the tracks, We fool only ourselves. The opinion that counts is our own of Us. Each of Us. Of each of Us.
And it is unlikely, unless one is hopeless, that the issues of selfhood will center on split ends.
Rhinodom cannot accept the full credit for inventing Yodeling, you may be surprised to learn. That is because not all of Us yodel.
Each Rhino family has distinctive oral configurations, which determine just how We go about letting everyone know We are in the area. True, the Indian and Javan Families are pretty similar, but their environments are not, so their needs differ. Not every mouth can Yodel with ease, or even at all.
Yodeling is, after all, only one means of making an impression on the public.
Also, We have learned (the hard way) that Yodeling, though remarkably expressive, is attention getting. It goes against the Rhino grain of demure conduct. Those of Us who yodel no longer live where there are user-friendly land formations, which give Yodeling its zip. We now murmur-yodel. In some ways it resembles a cough.
We do not reside in Switzerland anymore. Sad but true.
Nope. As you know, We don’t have mirrors in the Wild. Nor walls. Perhaps that is why We are most concerned with our Inner Rhinos; We can’t keep track of our Outer Rhinos successfully. What with the no-mirror problem and iffy vision, it’s just a waste of time.
How We look, what a business to care about. But how We smell, well there is a whole other focus entirely. There is a topic you can surf on!
And We do.
We sometimes get distracted, and overlook the pleasures We get from having a tail. Useful, decorative, expressive, sensitive, responsive… what more could one ask of a body part? There should be a little song We sing in appreciation, but words fall short.
So we hum.
We eat grass. Marvelous what comes from that humble occupation, right?
Just plain Astounded, that’s Us!
When We are scooting around in the Wild, We get revved up. Some sort of whiz-bang happens inside, which is called Endorphins. We feel great, very Can Do. Not so much nutso, as Dynamic and Electromagnetic. And occasionally Heliotropic.
That is one reason you may see Us taking it easy from time to time. We just have to download; there is only so much Joy anybody can stand without having a Spontaneous Combustion.
Your Inner Rhino 