"Your true passion should feel like breathing; it's that natural."-- Oprah Winfrey
Wouldnt you think you would always know what your passion is? It seems like you should be born with that knowledge, or at least have some sense of it from childhood. I didnt. If you had asked me 10 year ago I would have said my passion in life, what I was meant to do was work with children. It's what I planned on doing. But life changes sometimes and somehow once I graduated from college and stopped being a nanny I never worked with kids again, save for one brief stint back with that family. I dont think I really discovered what my passion was till 2002. Even then it didnt shout out at me. Richard and I started volunteering at the rescue and it was quite intimidating at first. I loved animals but didnt have a cat at the time and there was so much I didnt know. But somehow it slowly got to be more and more a huge part of my life. We both got more and more involved, taking on more roles in the organization. We rescued/fostered our first cat and then got out first official foster with our rescue (Baby Boy. I still havent posted his story. It's still so emotional for me. I will. I just need time.) . Once we moved into our own home one bedroom was immediatly made into a foster room for Fred and Barney & then within a months time we had another bedroom & and a bathroom as foster rooms. (Our realtor couldnt figure out why we wanted a house with at least three bedrooms when we have no children. We thoroughly confused her.) We rescued our first kittens that summer and I took over kitten intake. This wasnt just something we were doing one day a week anymore. Our house revolves around rescueing and fostering cats. I didnt go looking for my passion in life. It wasnt like I felt like I was missing something. I wasnt running the streets yelling "Passion! Show me my passion!" But it found me and once it did it fit. I dont think think about how I can be a rescuer. It's who I am. I dont know how not to be.
When you tell people you foster cats they always look at like your just a little crazy. Once they find out that we dont just foster kittens, that our adults are usually ones that need special cats, either due to medical problems or socialization issues they look at you like your alot crazy. All they get is that it's alot of work. I wont lie and say it isnt. At one point last summer we had three seriously ill cats in our house and two in need of major sozialization. The strongest feeling I remember from last summer was just utter exhaustion. It does take it's toll on you. But the rewards are amazing. Those two cats in need of socialization? Well Star and Nimbus have been on the desk with me for most of this, Star laying next to me and Nimbus leaning against my chest. Fred and Barney are doing ok. Their medical issues are chronic but we're on an upswing at the moment and more importantly their happy. We lost Baby Boy last July but the time I had with him outweighed any effort I could have ever put out. I got to be the person who helped heal a soul that was hurt. I got to watch a being that was scared and unsure blossom into a content, confident, alive being and I was part of the reason why. You cant even put a price on that.
This world is a pretty screwed up place. There is beauty but theres also alot of pain. We as humans inflict so much pain and suffering on each other its amazing we have survived as long as we have. Animals are the victims so many time of our selfishness, stupidty and cruelty. Being a rescuer I get to help just a little bit, to heal some of the hurt in the world. I may not be working towards world peace but I'm working towards healed souls. Is it my passion? How could it not be?
Wouldnt you think you would always know what your passion is? It seems like you should be born with that knowledge, or at least have some sense of it from childhood. I didnt. If you had asked me 10 year ago I would have said my passion in life, what I was meant to do was work with children. It's what I planned on doing. But life changes sometimes and somehow once I graduated from college and stopped being a nanny I never worked with kids again, save for one brief stint back with that family. I dont think I really discovered what my passion was till 2002. Even then it didnt shout out at me. Richard and I started volunteering at the rescue and it was quite intimidating at first. I loved animals but didnt have a cat at the time and there was so much I didnt know. But somehow it slowly got to be more and more a huge part of my life. We both got more and more involved, taking on more roles in the organization. We rescued/fostered our first cat and then got out first official foster with our rescue (Baby Boy. I still havent posted his story. It's still so emotional for me. I will. I just need time.) . Once we moved into our own home one bedroom was immediatly made into a foster room for Fred and Barney & then within a months time we had another bedroom & and a bathroom as foster rooms. (Our realtor couldnt figure out why we wanted a house with at least three bedrooms when we have no children. We thoroughly confused her.) We rescued our first kittens that summer and I took over kitten intake. This wasnt just something we were doing one day a week anymore. Our house revolves around rescueing and fostering cats. I didnt go looking for my passion in life. It wasnt like I felt like I was missing something. I wasnt running the streets yelling "Passion! Show me my passion!" But it found me and once it did it fit. I dont think think about how I can be a rescuer. It's who I am. I dont know how not to be.
When you tell people you foster cats they always look at like your just a little crazy. Once they find out that we dont just foster kittens, that our adults are usually ones that need special cats, either due to medical problems or socialization issues they look at you like your alot crazy. All they get is that it's alot of work. I wont lie and say it isnt. At one point last summer we had three seriously ill cats in our house and two in need of major sozialization. The strongest feeling I remember from last summer was just utter exhaustion. It does take it's toll on you. But the rewards are amazing. Those two cats in need of socialization? Well Star and Nimbus have been on the desk with me for most of this, Star laying next to me and Nimbus leaning against my chest. Fred and Barney are doing ok. Their medical issues are chronic but we're on an upswing at the moment and more importantly their happy. We lost Baby Boy last July but the time I had with him outweighed any effort I could have ever put out. I got to be the person who helped heal a soul that was hurt. I got to watch a being that was scared and unsure blossom into a content, confident, alive being and I was part of the reason why. You cant even put a price on that.
This world is a pretty screwed up place. There is beauty but theres also alot of pain. We as humans inflict so much pain and suffering on each other its amazing we have survived as long as we have. Animals are the victims so many time of our selfishness, stupidty and cruelty. Being a rescuer I get to help just a little bit, to heal some of the hurt in the world. I may not be working towards world peace but I'm working towards healed souls. Is it my passion? How could it not be?
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