As we come upon another Super Bowl weekend, I can’t help but think of my favorite part of every Super Bowl — the COMMERCIALS. And the ones that always seem to get into my “Top Ten” each year are the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials. I am pretty sure that many other people would agree with me. In fact, I just read an article by Gabe Zaldivar of the Bleacher Report, about the new Clydesdale commercial for this weekend’s Super Bowl. “free video upload” It’s about a relationship between a puppy and a Clydesdale. You can go on YouTube to see it, and let me just say that I needed my box of tissues when I saw it (and apparently, so did Mr. Zaldivar…)
I am not a beer drinker myself, so I am not trying to add to Budweiser’s advertising. But I must admit that, whoever comes up with these commercials really knows something about animals – AND humans. What is it about these Clydesdale commercials that get us all emotional? Well, below is what I believe are some of those reasons:
1. Animals (including Clydesdales and our household pets) love and accept us unconditionally.
We don’t have to prove ourselves to them, or look physically attractive, or make a certain amount of money. They just love us exactly as we are.
2. Animals are loyal.
They are always with us, through good times and bad, they will risk their lives to make sure we are safe, and they are always so happy to see us, whether we have had a bad day or not.
3. Animals make us feel like we MATTER to them.
They miss us when we are away, they love just being around us (even without having any access to cell phones, iPads, laptops, etc.), and they openly show their affection and appreciation for us.
As humans, we tend to process much of life in our heads, based on our past memories and experiences, on what we expect of ourselves and others, and on what we want and expect to happen in the future. But all those thoughts and expectations tend to get in the way of what we ultimately want (and NEED) the most – and that is unconditional love. Perhaps the only time some of us become aware of this need is when we see a commercial “tiktok download“ on how much and how purely a Clydesdale (and our household pets) can love us. They don’t THINK about loving us – they just DO. And we get all emotional when we realize how much their love means to us.
We sure can learn a LOT about love from our pets and animals. And if you are struggling to figure out how to have (and give) that kind of love in your life, it may be good to talk with a licensed counselor, who can help you re-connect to that capacity to love.