Pathways Fall Magazine_FINAL PDF

ON THE PATH Wildlife Adventures, Volunteering With Young Children & Disabilities Changed My Life

BY ROZANNE WEISSMAN

,QHYHU LPDJLQHGP\VHOIDFKLOGUHQ¶VERRNDXWKRU WHOOLQJP\5($/ ZLOGOLIHVWRULHV ,QHYHULPDJLQHGYLUWXDOO\YLVLWLQJFODVVURRPVWRWUDQVSRUWFKLOGUHQ RQZLOGOLIHDGYHQWXUHV ,QHYHULPDJLQHGDQLQIDQWFKRRVLQJPHDV³KHUSHUVRQ´DQGUHPDLQ - LQJERQGHG $QG,UHDOO\GLGQ¶WLPDJLQHWKLVZLWKP\GLVDELOLWLHVDQGQRFRPSXWHU ,QHYHULPDJLQHGDQ\RIWKLVEHFDXVHXSXQWLO¿YH\HDUVDJR,ZDVDQ award-winning marketing communications executive and consultant P\HQWLUHFDUHHU7KHQP\FKLURSUDFWRUXUJHGPHWRJHWR̆FRPSXWHUV WRWDOO\ RU ULVN IXUWKHU GLVDELOLWLHV$QG WKLV LV DIWHUZRUNLQJ  \HDUV ZLWK YRLFH UHFRJQLWLRQ VRIWZDUH EHFDXVH RI H[LVWLQJ KDQGZULVW GLV - abilities. %XWWKUHH$0$=,1*ZLOGOLIHDGYHQWXUHVYROXQWHHUZRUNDWWKHEL - OLQJXDO-XELOHH-XPS6WDUW -66 LQIDQWVWKURXJKSUH.VFKRROLQ$G - DP¶V0RUJDQ'&DQGGLVDELOLWLHVFRQYHUJHGWRFKDQJHWKHHQWLUHWUD - jectory of my life and purpose. This is my personal story. My Wildlife Adventures After my mom died in 2010, I went to a grief counselor who asked WKHEHVWTXHVWLRQDQ\RQHHYHUDVNHGPH³:KDWDUH\RXQRWGRLQJQRZ WKDW \RX ZRXOG OLNH EH GRLQJ"´ :LWKRXW KHVLWDWLRQ , UHVSRQGHG ³, ZDQW WR WUDYHO WR%RUQHRRU6XPDWUD WR VHHP\ IDYRULWHZLOGDQLPDO UHGKDLUHGRUDQJXWDQVLQWKHZLOG´

The elusive leopard in the wild.

It was on my bucket list for many years after a visit to the Smithso- nian National Zoo’s Think Tank. There I saw smart orangutans create and use tools — thought to be what separated humans from animals. $QG,ORYHGZDWFKLQJRUDQJXWDQVWUDYHUVHWKH2OLQHDERYH]RRJRHUV¶ heads!

continued on page 59

PATHWAYS—Fall 21—31

Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease