In 7th and in 8th grade, Coxsackie-Athens middle school in Coxsackie NY invited a man named Dean to come in and do a presentation for students. He is, by far, my favorite presenter of all time. He's the only presenter who's name I can recall.
Dean captured my attention because he brought us animals. He had reptiles of every size, the madagascar cockroach (which he let me touch), birds of prey, and a bobcat. I learned that Dean allowed certain volunteers and interns at his facility to help out. Before I had the chance to get on this track, I discovered we were eventually moving to Connecticut.
I always thought the person who stood at the front of a class or an assembly and held a hawk on their arm was the coolest person in the room. "Hi, I have a MOTHER F-IN HAWK on my ARM." I never figured out how to become that person. Until now.
Before I get into that, let me share some other news.
I have not been happy at my current job. Public health is important, but my passion lies in ecology and environmental health (which I know to also be public health). I sent some feelers out for jobs along those lines, and got offered a position to expand a youth development program centered around gardening.
COUNT ME IN.
While the position pays well, it is not full time. So I also accepted the job of being a naturalist for a local nature center. Which means I do outdoor education with school groups, AND bring critters into classrooms to introduce to kids.
I AM SO SUPER PSYCHED.
Color me all the shades of grateful.
The funny thing is, while I am coming up with hawk deterrents out in the backyard to protect my chickens, I am also looking forward to working with these big, beautiful birds in an educational setting.
Life can really come together if you keep planting good seeds, even as challenges approach.
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