Lizard on my Epitaph?

In an office seminar cum recollection, the speaker asked everyone, “If you were to be an animal, what would you like to be?”  I was in the last row and by chance, the speaker let those on the front answer first.  That would have given me ample time to reflect but I wasn’t too concerted on such seminar/recollection.  Someone said “lion” because of its show of strength.  Another said “same” referring to lion and its strength.  I thought of simply saying “same” then mention an animal that was previously mentioned just so to say something.  But as the microphone passed from one person to another, unique answers and reasons were given.  I realized people were taking the recollection seriously.  I thought I have to give a matchless answer so as not to be obvious that I wasn’t taking the question seriously.  I wasn’t still ready for words when I held the mike, but an animal just got into my head.  “Lizard,” I blurted.  “And it’s simply because it sounded like my name.”

“Great! Lizards dwell in palaces,” the speaker said something to this effect.  They are living with kings, queens, prince and princesses.

His last remarks made me unmindful of the answers of those next to me.  Lizards and palaces!  My mind flew to a castle amidst trees and greeneries dutifully surrounded by guards.  I thought of the comfort that people living there are enjoying.  I thought of the abundance that people of such a fortress take pleasure in.  And perhaps the lizard living there was feeling so comfortable too.

My mind soon traveled back to my reality.  I am dwelling not at a palace.  Then I asked myself, does the lizard living with my household have some complaint?

Lizard on a poor man's abode

Not too long after that recollection, I was in a graduate school class where the report of a classmate was about death.  Before the discussion, the reporter asked that each one think and write about an animal that each wanted to be on one’s epitaph.  Still looming in my mind was my animal in the recollection.  And so I wrote lizard.  My rationalization focused mainly on its commonness – it being in farms, forests, mountains, rocks, in palaces and even on poor man’s dwellings.  I identified variation and ability to adapt to environments or flexibility as good characteristics.  I added that in Cordilleran ethnic implements, the lizard is a common image.  The ancestors must have seen something significant about the lizard.  Of course, there are also negative depictions about lizard.  For one, the villain in a popular movie is pictured as a lizard.  But in reasoning for that particular discussion, I have to highlight the good.

Then I realized – it is hard to measure up to a lizard.  So I have to doubly ask, would that lizard still be on my epitaph?