"Why"?

Why? That is the simplest question that we can ask, and it starts at a very young age.  Why is the sky blue? Why can’t I stay up till midnight? Why can’t I borrow the car?

“Why” is basic, but when you think about it, “why” is deeper than that. As a teenager and into young adulthood, you ask a bunch more of “why” questions, and then even contemplate the biggest question of all, “Why are we here?”

At some point, people either quit asking, keep asking, or think they’ve found the answer to that last question. I think that never finding the answer is more important.  Never finding an answer pushes you to continue to ask more questions. Questions are good. It motivates you drives you, and consistently allows you for never to settle for less, and more importantly, to keep on learning.  Over the past 38 years, 4 years, and 4 weeks, I have been constantly asking, “Why?” The content of the “Why” questions change constantly.  The more I ask the questions, the more similar they get to what we ask when we are little humans just starting into the world.

I fell in love with homeless animals. I don’t know why, and I don’t know when. Sometimes, I think it began after my first year of vet school. But when I look back, I was saving earthworms off of the sidewalk when I was 5, hoping they would not fry after a hard rain on the next sunny day.  The inner desire to save an animal and be emotionally invested in their future has been with me for as long as I can remember.

I have been fortunate to attend a veterinary school that has a strong program in my interests and has reinforced what I felt when I was young. I have found that there are people I can relate to, laugh with, cry with, and succeed with.

The most recent reminder of my “why” has the name of “Chandler”. Chandler was one of ~ 700 cats in a cat hoarding case. He was deemed to be a feral cat by many. Since the hoarding case was being contested, Chandler and the other cats were kept for months in kennels, wondering what their outcome would be.  In October, eight months after living in a kennel, I acquired Chandler and two other feral cats from the case. The two tortoiseshell cats are basically feral, not wanting my company. But then there is Chandler.  He has chosen to have quite the personality, comes when I call and even seeks out an occasional brushing. He has become quite the character, and has reinforced my “Why”. He has reinforced that the love for an animal isn’t a one way street. They can love back, and they can appreciate your efforts when you reach out to them.