#mentalhealthmonday
#mentalhealthawareness
This is Kotaro. He is an Asian Small Clawed otter. He has a YouTube channel and this is how a celebrity otter made my year better.
It was 2021 and we were in full pandemic mode. Fear and loathing filled the social media space as we headed into our “4th wave” lockdown state in Canada. Things were looking grim. Social media was rife with personal attacks between those who thought the pandemic response was too harsh, and those who did not. Families were spilt about vaccinations status, and in Canada, the government had weaponized the military against its own people in the form of psychological operations. (Real story. Look into it.)
Anyway, I had grown tired of the backbiting and hatred, so one night while watching YouTube videos before bed, I stumbled upon the channel of a Japanese couple, who make videos about their pet otters Kotaro and Hana. The video made me smile, made me laugh. The “Curious Kotaro” and the “Beautiful Hana” became nightly companions before bed.
I can’t say exactly when, but I became aware that my social media feed had become kind of unbearable. Too much garbage that I just didn’t want to see. At that point, I decided to game the algorithm and fill my timeline with otters and see if that became the predominantly suggested content on my feed. Sure enough, it worked.
Now, my IG feed and FB page are both full of otters. Much less political melodrama and celebrity garbage. I guess the point of all this is to show you that we are ultimately in control of our lives. What we see, what we experience, and who we are are a result of our choices. Also, you never know where you might find joy in the midst of a bad situation. Keep your eye out for it, it’s there.
Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.
Have a great week!
Be safe!
Much Love!
Link to Kotaro and Hana’s YouTube page:
Instagram: @otter_kotaro_hana
-DJR
