What This Adorable Dog Thread Teaches Us About Our Own Bodies
We all know Twitter can be a pretty depressing place, but it can also offer up some real gems. A series of tweets by dogsledder Blair Braverman, author of Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North, went viral over the weekend, lighting up thousands of timelines — and not just because of all the adorable dog photos. Braverman used the Twitter thread to explain how the process of caring for and training sled dogs has helped to change the way she thinks about her own body.
"Y'all, having sled dogs has been so good for my body image," she said. "And not because mushing is a joy-filled, physical outdoor activity, although that’s true. It’s actually something much simpler than that... I grew up learning that all bodies are different. Okay, yeah, that’s true. Whatever. All bodies are different. I get it."
And then I started caring for sled dogs. @QuinceMountain and I feed and train and massage them, teach them as puppies and ease them into retirement. We get to know each dog so well. And once we started doing this, do you know what became EXTREMELY OBVIOUS? pic.twitter.com/4B3o5OnkpA
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
But that "all bodies are different" lesson only truly started to sink in when she started to think outside the context of human bodies.
Get this: All bodies are different. pic.twitter.com/eZy7YGonCn
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
All bodies are different. "And I don't mean that in some flip way," Braverman said. "I mean it in a bone-deep, beautiful, complicated way."
Some of them can eat, like, a tablespoon of kibble, and the next day they need a bigger harness. They’re easy keepers; their bodies naturally want to be bigger. Which is good! Easy keepers make great sled dogs. pic.twitter.com/tgGkbypAPe
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
Each dog has its own appetites, its own quirks, its own needs.
Some of them need to ease into training slowly. They need gentler workouts—and more training sessions—before they can keep up with the rest of the team. pic.twitter.com/RXNJCS8qLI
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
And as Braverman became increasingly familiar with how to train each dog according to their own body and needs, she realized that this is just as true of human beings too.
Some of them feel their best during shorter, faster runs. And, occasionally, some of them aren’t that into running at all. pic.twitter.com/uqbb4gfRd4
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
The parallels are hard to miss, actually.
Some of them were born with bodies that make everything harder for them, and they need extra care and understanding to really shine. pic.twitter.com/8sPstFAWqk
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
Not every dog is made for running hundreds of miles, nor is every person. We don't get anywhere by comparing ourselves to others.
And, like, my body is like that too. It has its own set points, its own levels. So does yours. pic.twitter.com/EPwMae1nI4
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
"The dogs’ bodies aren’t up to them, just like ours aren’t," said Braverman. "There’s no value judgment. They are what they are... And every single one is magnificent."
So remember that, next time you're in the gym. Or pulling a sled.
('You Might Also Like',)