This weekend, my mom gave me the most honest feedback I could have asked for. She had just received her copy of “Humane Perspectives: Leadership in Animal Welfare.”
So, I asked her what she thought of the book.
You see, there’s a running joke in my family that no one can quite explain what “Cathy does.” When my mom introduces me, she usually says, “Cathy works with animals,” which can leave a lot open to interpretation.
Her response wasn’t, “I’m so proud of you,” or even “congratulations” (thank goodness).
Instead, she said, “Wow…this is really interesting. I’m learning so much about your work.”
Well, yay! That was exactly what I hoped for.
Humane Perspectives offers a rare look at leadership voices in the animal welfare field for current or emerging leaders. But it is also for anyone who cares about animals and wants to better understand the work being done to care for and protect them.
So, then, I asked her, “Have you read the Acknowledgments and Introduction?” Because, let’s be honest, people often skip over those, right? She came clean.
“No,” she said. “I’m skipping around and reading the essays that interest me. So far, my favorite is the one by Todd Cramer, CAWA (“Fine Wine or Skunky Beer? Leading with Value at Every Stage of a Career”). Is he a funny guy?”
“Yes, Mom, he is.”
“And what about this one by Richard Avanzino—‘What Saving One Dog Taught Me About Changing the World’?” she said. “How is that story not a made-for-TV movie?”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
I told her she could skip around (as that was what was intended), but to go back and read a few things.
First, the acknowledgments, because I gave her a little shout-out there for helping me learn about visualization and mental strength in 4th grade.
And then I asked her to read the Introduction (not just because it was written by her daughter) and the Foreword by Jim Tedford, CAWA.
Both of those essays set the tone for the book and begin to explain what I — and many others in our field — didn’t fully understand when we all first said “yes” to this work many years ago.
(I will share a little more about that tomorrow.)
But for now, I’ll take the win. My mom is finally learning what I do…or at least what Todd Cramer, CAWA does, which is close enough for me.
