My tardigrade teacher

I am in constant search of inspiration. I have both physical and digital folders dedicated to it. I copy and paste words and phrases, I jot notes of things I see and hear, I save pictures, graphics, and print materials, even color combos that move me in some way. I visit these folders anytime I’m stuck on something and need a fresh idea, whether it’s for work or home, spiritual or technical. I have a Pinterest board called “Love this!” that features a variety of affirmations, ways to boost my confidence, yoga routines, and tattoos ideas. Oh yeah. It’s a whole thing. I’m inspired by inspiration.

So, next time you’re struggling with your own vision board, do yourself a favor and type “tardigrade” in the search bar. This microorganism is living its best life in a universe we can’t even see. This will sound like a Marvel movie, and that’s because it is, but you may recall a scene from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” where Hank Pym enters the quantum realm and he’s taken aback by its beauty and silence. The music swells and suddenly a couple of tardigrades approach aggressively. In our world, we trample tardigrades all day, but in the quantum realm they will snatch you up with one of eight clawed appendages, pierce you with their sharp teeth and suck out your juices. Fortunately for us, we aren’t in a Marvel movie. But in their teeny tiny world, tardigrades are respected and revered.

You may know tardigrade by his cutesy nickname, “water bear.” Although they have more legs than an actual bear, they sort of mimic the crawl in their overstepping gait, hence the name. Their snout and heft inspired another nickname, “moss piglet.” But I imagine you’d get eight appendage punches straight to the face for calling a tardigrade that in a quantum realm bar.

So, of the 100 million different microorganisms existing out of plain sight, what can we learn from this one? Why does this one get a shoutout in a Marvel movie? Why are there plush versions of him and necklaces for smart science-y girls? He’s not classically handsome. He eats poop on occasion, which is fitting because his face looks like an anus. He clearly skips leg day. And he’s in desperate need of a manicure. So, what is it?

Tardigrade rocks our world, melts our butter, and blows our skirts up because HE WILL SURVIVE! And I don’t mean the drunk girl karaoke Gloria Gaynor version, I mean nothing can kill him! A survivor of all mass extinctions, he welcomes the challenge. He laughs at lava and scoffs at space. Boiled, frozen, shaken or stirred, he has this relentless will to live. If he is threatened in some way, he can activate a dormant state where he shuts down all systems and takes a nap for a decade or two. And you thought you could adapt to change. Ha!

Tardigrade is recalcitrant (adj: unapologetically justifiably defiant), which I love in a man (wink, wink, Ben Tomes!). I’m not sure what drives him though. Maybe it just occurs naturally, maybe he was inspired by his hard-working single mom, maybe he’s looking for his literal forever love. When researching the mating habits of tardigrades (Note to self: delete search history), I discovered they are actually gender fluid and flexible. Some are hermaphrodites. Some are born from their mother’s unfertilized eggs. Some mate the old-fashioned way and some will never reproduce. And that’s ok! It’s not like the species itself will be compromised. I truly appreciate that tardigrade doesn’t let society norms dictate his behavior. Your body, your choice, buddy!

Tardigrade may be small, but his ferocity and lust for life is enormous. His world has changed around him, yet he continues to thrive and move forward with confidence and self-awareness. The obstacles he’s encountered throughout his lifetime make my problems seem even smaller than him. So take a close look at this mighty microscopic warrior next time you lose your way or ?feel like giving up. He just may inspire you to “live tiny, die never,” just like the tardigrade shirt I saw on Amazon.