Though there are a few things on my 40 by 40 list that 2020 is preventing me from accomplishing (of course), I’ve still been seeking out ways to check things off.
20. Sit on the board of a non-profit organization
It doesn’t take much for my competitive side to emerge. I come from a family where sports and board games were played by the book and there was always a winner. So when a co-worker suggested I run for a Board of Directors position for the Missouri Travel Alliance, I was all in. Once my boss approved me running and I applied, I realized I might actually have to…campaign? Now that is out of my comfort zone.
I wrote a heartfelt email to members about what tourism and the organization mean to me. The same co-worker who had suggested I run laughed as I cringed with each send. The words were authentic but it still felt so awkward. Then something lovely happened…very kind replies started rolling in from people I have respected for a long time. So I had a nice little cry and waited for the results to come in.
My first Board of Directors meeting is tomorrow.
33. Adopt a Zoo Animal
One of my “happy places” has always been the St. Louis Zoo. There are pictures of me there as a baby, chilling in my stroller wearing a bonnet while my parents wheeled me around to greet the animals. Nearly every time we went to visit my Nana, we ended up at the Zoo…riding the train, clapping at the sea lion feeding and marveling at everything from the tiniest monkey to the biggest elephant.
The St. Louis is one of the most incredible zoos in the country and it’s free to go. One of the ways they support their mission is through the Zoo Parents Program. As a kid, my sister and I both had “adopted” animals that ranged from penguins to bald eagles to giraffes. You got cool fact sheets and even an invitation to the Zoo Parents Picnic each fall! At some point, I guess we got too “cool” to be Zoo Parents (what idiots we were!) and the tradition ended.
So when I was making my 40 by 40 list, I wanted to bring back something from my childhood that brought me joy, and adopting a zoo animal seemed like a great way to do that. I had my mind set on a North American River Otter, my favorite animal, as the perfect adoption. But once I started looking at the list, I decided that adopting an endangered animal might make more of a difference…and that list was long too.
Then I clicked on the Big Cat Country list and there it was…the cheetah. Have you all read Untamed by Glennon Doyle because you should. In the prologue, Glennon and her family visit a zoo and watch the “Cheetah Run,” which ends up not being all that exciting and a little sad. And it leads into many more beautiful chapters about questioning your cages and your wildness and just…go read it.
So, I am now a proud Zoo Parent once again of a badass cheetah. And yes, I shelled out enough for the fancy fact sheet.
That’s two more off the 40 by 40 list! I have a couple more in the works and am excited to document those. Until then, what zoo animal would you adopt and why?