It is so easy to choose a job because it pays the bills or because your dream isn't "realistic" Prior to working at IndyHumane, I worked as an underwriter (basically doing financial risk assessment) for OneAmerica. My coworkers were pretty nice, and the paycheck was great (as were some of the other perks of the job), but I couldn't get out fast enough.
I worried that financially, I couldn't afford to take a pay cut (and who wouldn't love to pay off student loans faster?), but after a lot of planning and discussion with Aaron, we figured out a plan. Even with a plan, I was still scared. What if I regretted it and couldn't get another job doing the same thing or something in the financial industry? What if I didn't like it as much as I thought I would?
The truth is, chasing your dreams is far from easy, but just making room for those dreams to develop and evolve seemed to be the key to make those dreams a reality for me. And here's what I found to be the most startling discovery: You will never ever be prepared.
I'm not suggesting that just mustering up some courage and taking a blind leap is what you should do, but what I do mean to say is that while careful planning goes a long way, you can never fully prepare yourself for the amazing journey.
It was the same way when we started our business. We wrote the business plan, did our research, and talked to other business owners about how to get started. In the end, we were met with TONS of obstacles that we couldn't have predicted. We had faith enough in ourselves that we could handle whatever came our way or could ask for help.
Two years later, I couldn't be happier with my choice, and my dreams have evolved since I first started down this path. I want to work internationally with an animal welfare group (in a Spanish speaking country ideally!), and I would also like to help contribute research to our field so that animal welfare professionals and volunteers can make better (life-saving) decisions for animals in their communities. Those are just a couple of things on my list : ) We shall see where the journey takes me, but in the meantime, here are some great memories from this past year:
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| My pit bull mix Angel and I get to meet great kids like these guys throughout the year! |
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| And sometimes the kids come to visit the shelter! This picture was taken over the summer |
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| I participated in community events to let others know about the resources that IndyHumane has to offer (and brag about our wonderful adoptable animals!) This photo was taken at the Great Indy Pet Expo. |
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| This is just one of several foster animals we have hosted in our home! Faye is our current foster, and she is adorable! |
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| We opened up this BEAUTIFUL new facility to offer low-cost vaccines. We will soon be offering low-cost spay/neuter surgeries! I can't believe I get to come here every day for work! |
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| And of course, I adopted this handsome little dude! He only has two legs and his family was distraught about the very few options they had (because of his disability) when they were forced to surrender him. IndyHumane gave him a chance, and now our family can't imagine life without him! |
And here are a few videos made during the last year:
An overview of IndyHumane:
A heart-touching adoption story:
A video about the NEW Animal Welfare Center:
And finally, one of my big guy, Rocky (he's cuddled up on the couch next to me right now!):
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