On The Wild Side
Make Your Life Matter
By William LeRoy
This is the time of the year when many of us will take time to reflect upon our actions over the past year and give some thought as to how we might improve ourselves and our relationships. The problem for most is how to translate our efforts into positive actions that will produce results. I have discovered that making time to help others can lead to personal renewal.
Before I became involved with Wild At Heart, I was a fairly self-absorbed individual, rarely taking time to nurture myself or my key relationships. I would work until I was about ready to explode and then I would take a trip out to the back country to try and wind down. As I look back now, I can see that these trips were really nothing more than “keep my sanity exercises.” While on these trips, I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful terrain the Southwest had to offer, yet I passed through it mostly unaffected. It took time, but I finally came to realize that a key missing element was the aspect of personal involvement. By this I mean that there was little in these experiences that directly challenged me to change.
One of my favorite quotes is: “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” – William Shakespeare. The truth is that, as human beings, we are connected to this world and all of the other living things it contains. As individuals, we cannot grow and learn in a vacuum. Each of us needs to interact with other living things in order to grow and change. I believe that it is as we learn to share our lives with others by giving of ourselves that we begin to be true to ourselves. As human beings, we have the capacity for so much more good than we typically express. Our most consistent failing comes in the form of indifference. We are indifferent to each other, our loved ones, the animals and beauty around us, and, in the end, ourselves. Indifference is a by-product of a self-absorbed life. Giving of one’s life to others (becoming a volunteer) is a perfect counterpoint and the best cure for a self-absorbed person.
It’s my belief that there are places of truth and existence that thrive just beyond our physical abilities to observe them, and that these places are opened up to us periodically as we go through life. For me, watching a herd of wild horses or a hawk soar are moments that are always accompanied by new insights. For each person it’s different, but the opportunity presented by the circumstance is always the same. There is a kind of awakeness arising within these moments in which we can experience life-changing insights. As a Wild At Heart volunteer, I have the opportunity to participate in circumstances that hold these moments of awakeness. My very first rescue of the great horned owl that we named Logan is a classic example of how a set of circumstances can powerfully alter the direction of a person’s life. Without that experience, I would not have met Sam and Bob or discovered how their examples of self-sacrifice and dedication can be deep and abiding. As we enter the New Year, I want to challenge each person reading this story to think seriously about volunteering. I promise that you’ll never regret taking this step and that your personal life and the lives of those around you will benefit deeply from your experiences.
About Wild At Heart
Wild At Heart is an all-volunteer organization which is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Arizona’s native wildlife. At Wild At Heart we: Rescue, rehabilitate, and release birds of prey which have been injured or orphaned, relocate displaced burrowing owls, manage species recovery programs, manage habitat enhancement projects, and provide educational presentations. Each year, Wild At Heart rescues and cares for approximately 400 owls, hawks, and falcons, and some years, as many as 600 raptors have been cared for in the facility. Every single dollar donated goes towards the rescue, rehabilitation, care, and release of our amazing Arizona birds of prey.
Wild At Heart is nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization. Support for Wild At Heart comes from generous members of the community who are concerned about our ever-decreasing wildlife habitats. Plea se send your tax-deductible donations to “Wild At Heart” at the following address: Wild At Heart, 31840 N. 45th Street, Cave Creek, Arizona. 85331. For additional information regarding how you can support Wild At Heart please go to: http://www.wildatheartowls.org/
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