The Meaning of Life

A huge thank you to Tonya Sheetz for always supporting my crazy ideas.

I’ve never been one to make a big deal about personal achievements. There are over 7 billion people on this planet and most of them are doing much more spectacular things than I am. I struggle a lot with thinking about what the point of life is. In the grand scheme of things, each human life is just a tiny speck in the grand universe, and that can make life seem pretty pointless. But yesterday I was part of something that made me feel like I’m doing life right, and I am rather proud. Bark in the Park. Bark in the Park is the largest annual fundraiser for Friends for Animals in Daviess County Indiana. I organized the first Bark in the Park when I moved down to Washington, Indiana, and three years later I am blown away by what a success it has become. 

The best people in Washington!

I will admit that I organized Bark in the Park out of purely selfish intentions. Washington, Indiana was a dreadful place for me to live. The only things to do in Washington are watch high school sporting events, eat fast food, and pray (three things I have zero interest in). Trying to make the best of my situation, I found a small group of individuals who were dedicated to helping local animals in need, and although it was miserable hearing/seeing the horrible treatment of animals in this community, it gave me hope that there were some people trying to make things better. Most of the people in Friends for Animals have real lives and responsibilities and being part of the group was just a commendable hobby. I had nothing else in Washington, so doing everything I could to help this organization grow became my way of staying sane in a town I hated.

North Daviess kids did a great job of volunteering.

My passion for helping animals grew from being just a lofty dream to a tangible reality with the development of Bark in the Park. I had attended dozens of animal welfare fundraisers in Bloomington and Indianapolis, and now I was in charge of creating one. Honestly I am shocked I pulled it off with so much success. Developing a successful fundraising event requires collaboration with community members and business. You need to get people to like you first before you can convince them to support your cause. I am not an extrovert. I strongly dislike most people I meet. Hardly anyone lives up to the high standards I set for both myself and others. I agonize over seemingly trivial tasks such as making phone calls because I hate talking to people. Yet somehow I managed to get not only the Friends for Animals members but a decent portion of the Daviess County community on board with my dream. 

Putting this in my journal and taking in on the trail with me

Although we don’t have the final numbers yet, I estimate there were at least 200 people in attendance at the event and I’m hoping for at least $4,000 raised for Friends for Animals. Before I started volunteering as the event coordinator for Friends for Animals, they had $0 in savings. After three years, there is now over $10,000 in the savings account. Obviously I didn’t raise that money single-handedly, but I am thrilled that I was able to help rally the group to come together and make events like Bark in the Park so fruitful. If I had to look back on my life and pinpoint my one biggest achievement this would be it. I can’t thank Friends for Animals enough for giving me this opportunity to learn and achieve so much. I know the money we raised is going to a worthy cause, and I feel proud to be actually doing something productive with my life. With 7 billion people on the planet, I’m happy to say I know I am at least doing something to make a small part of the world a better place. 

Are we doing life right? Maybe, maybe not, but at least we are happy :)