The Beginning

As I flipped through an old family photo album one day, I came across one picture that triggered a memory of mine. It is one of my earliest memories...

I was about 2 or 3 years old at the time, and I was living in South Carolina. We had always had pets, as far back as I can remember. The pet that I was most interested in that day was our cat, Saffron. I was in my green, fuzzy pajamas, crawling around on the wooden floor, as I followed her around. She walked all the way into the den until she curled up in a little ball behind the big arm chair. I lied down next to her, and I put my head on my arms, watching her sleep. Apparently, someone else must have been watching us both, because there in the photo album, we are pictured lying right next to each other, both taking a "cat nap."

I think that is where it truly began. I always loved all the animals in my home. I have always felt a certain connection with them, as if perhaps we understood each other more than most people could understand either of us. As I grew up, I came to love all animals, and I still do to this very day.

When I was young and attending elementary school, some teachers posed the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" There were, of course, those who answered, "policeman, ...fireman,... astronaut..." I didn't want any of that. I thought of what I wanted to be, and realised I had no idea. This puzzled me, and I thought for a long time about what I wanted to do when I was older. To do this, I first had to ask myself, "What do I love more than anything in the world?" I knew, even then, that I was not going to be one of those people who hates their job. I thought and thought, and one day it just came to me.....animals.

At first, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. After a while, I thought I wanted to be a writer, because I wanted to be like my older brother. I later wanted to be a book illustrator, to be like my other older brother who is the artist in the family. I made a few other choices, but it always came back to animals. I started watching the Discovery channel, and I saw programs where people worked with understanding the intelligence of animals, and their learning habits. I would love to do something like that. I also saw people who work in the nursery of zoos, and I thought that looked great. It all boiled down to one primary thing: I want to work with animals and be around them every day. I want to have a job that I love to do.

In college, I plan to take courses that can teach me what options there are out there. Then I will choose which job, specifically, I really want to do. I will work hard to meet my goals, and later, I hope I'll be able to look back and feel satisfied with my life and the choices I've made.

This is my dream, and I will follow it until it becomes my reality.