Blog

For my Honors Civic Engagement forum at UNA, I am suppose to keep a blog on my community service experiences and the speakers from each week. Keeping a blog will not be that difficult for me. I already have another blog, www.shoesofamyjane.blogspot.com, so I am already a little bit comfortable about writing a journal where everyone can read it. The thing I know I will have problems with is posting to this blog regularly, because on my other blog (as you can see) I am not very consistent with posts. I just post whenever my brain has a need to express itself to the world (in reality only to my 10 followers). This will be a challenge, but I am ready to face it!
You might be wondering what on earth does the title of my blog or even my background picture have to do with service to my community. Let me start with the title. I am the type of person that doesn't want praise for what she does. I want to, as Steve Jobs puts it, "put a ding in the universe", but my way is subtle. I don't want to leave my mark in life by smashing it with a hammer and making a racket that everyone can hear. I want to brush it with a whisper that people will always remember. Helping a lot of people all at one time is great, and I support everyone who does this. Sometimes, though, you came make an even greater impact by changing the life of one person, even if it is just giving a complete stranger a smile and a simple "hello" while walking down a street or helping a child adopt a friend who will never let them down. I am going to make my home a better place by small works that, I hope, influence people's lives.
My background is a reminder to me and a representation to everyone else about what I am passionate about and a major goal in my life. To say I love animals is very cliche and vaguely describes my passion, but when I try to put words to how I feel I come up very short. I am working towards a career working towards captive wildlife and through my community service this summer I know this field is where I belong.
As I begin to volunteer this semester, I have already decided my aim is going to be helping animals. I am already volunteering at the Animal House in Moulton, Alabama. There I get to interact with, feed, and take care of exotic animals. The Lawrence County Animal Shelter is also run by the same person, so I also get to help with the shelter animals, adoptions, and the needs of the shelter. I also want to try volunteering at Turtle Haven and PAWS.