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I just realized that Sunday was the five year anniversary of Operation Desert Dove. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I got here– to my current state of living, trying to convince myself I didn’t arrive in a haphazard fashion. I had a mission statement after all.

Shouldn’t everyone have a mission statement? A one-liner to remind them what they want to do with their life? It’s so easy to get side-tracked and so many questions can be answered by referring back to a personal one-liner. Which books should I read? What books should I write? Where should I go? Is this really the right day job, project, diversion for me?

Maybe everyone isn’t as scattered as I am. Perhaps it’s a personal affliction that I need a personal mission statement, an appropriate soundtrack and a souvenir t-shirt for the journey. Hey, whatever. It works for me…most of the time.

I’ve found myself referring back to my mission statement a lot lately…

…to help people understand their connection to animals and the earth and to delight in it.

Simple, eh? I’m not saying I’ll ever achieve such a grandiose and complex mission, but at least I can claim to have some sort of theme and cohesion to my life. It isn’t always that easy. My checklist of tasks is frighteningly varied as of late…do they all fit the mission?

1. Director of Development for a Girl Scout Council? Yes. Who is better positioned to introduce girls to nature than the Girl Scouts?
2. Parrot Behaviorist? Yes. I have at least one lecture a month and the opportunity to help with behavior issues, but more importantly to remind people that parrots are wild and should be admired for their wildness.
3. Struggling writer of novel? Yes. I do think my next novel explores and embraces the many facets of the human/animal relationship. Whether or not it gets finished remains to be seen…
4. Managing Editor of Academic Media Journal? Hmnn. It’s a stretch, but it gives me the ability to proxy on to the University computer for research. I do read a lot of anthrozoology articles…

I guess I’m doing okay, but I was none of these things five years ago. Oh, where a half a decade can take you…how can I even guess what’s next? 

I can tell you though that Anakin is molting slowly. Booth is a saint and Tempe is terrorizing us both with infuriating charm. It won’t be a boring summer. And I doubt it will be a boring five years.