Now that Super Bowl Sunday and all the hoopla associated with it has come to a conclusion, us sports fan can now look forward to the opening of baseball training camps and of course March Madness – the annual NCAA basketball tournament. For many of us though the memories of a great football game between the 49ers and the Ravens remains intact. Or perhaps it was the commercials that remain an indelible part of our memory.
Several commercials tugged at our heart strings notably the Budweiser Clydesdale ad, the Dodge Ram tribute to our nation’s farmers by Paul Harvey, and the accolades to families of our proud service men and women voiced by Oprah Winfrey. In many homes I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye as the ads rolled unto our television screens.
Not surprising, the baby Clydesdale commercial won top honors by various groups whose role it is to review and vote on the ads. It was the story of the bond between a trainer and the Budweiser Clydesdale he raised. When the two are finally reunited at a Chicago parade, it was a heart tugging, poignant moment.
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It reminded me of another such animal reunion, the story of Christian the lion. Christian was purchased by two Australian men from a store in London, England in 1969. The two men raised the lion as if it were a pet dog or cat. A video on YouTube shows the lion running in the yard chasing a ball and interacting with its two owners. As Christian grew to be a full size lion it
was time to reintroduce him to the wild which his owners did. Several years later they decided to go looking for Christian to determine whether he would remember them much like the Budweiser trainer did with the Clydesdale.
And as you may have surmised, Christian not only recognized the two men
but lovingly leapt playfully onto the two men and caressed their faces.
I guess these two stories prove that love, true love, has no boundaries. So as we prepare to celebrate the holiday of love, namely Valentine’s Day, maybe it is time for us guys to emulate the baby Clydesdale and Christian the lion and demonstrate our own animal magnetism to someone special in our life.
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Yes, I know that sounds a bit schmaltzy but in my mind it sure beats expressing our love by impersonating cupid, the winged god of affection. So you guys out there, start practicing your best lion roar. And don’t forget that lions hunt or forage for food for their companions so don’t forget to hunt for some flowers and chocolates. You can thank me later for helping you make this a special day!
Bill Kalmar