An Accidental Activist

My daughter and I drove through a dramatic April rainstorm to hear the gentle stories and powerful inspiration shared by Dr. Jane Goodall on April 17. Of the many beautiful and poignant ideas in Dr. Goodall’s talk, one in particular has stayed with me over the passing weeks.

As a child, Goodall yearned for two things: to work with animals and go to Africa. (In fact she had early hopes she might marry Tarzan, but as Goodall said, “He married the wrong Jane.”) She didn’t plan to become a worldwide voice for animal conservation and understanding. She shared that she was “tapped on the shoulder” when she went to share her research at a conference, intending when it was all over to return to her idyllic life at Gombi. But while at the conference, she learned of needs and issues far beyond her research focus. She said, “I walked into that conference a researcher and walked out an activist. I haven’t spent more than three weeks in any one place since.”

May we also be open to new paths that reveal themselves as we continue to love our planet.