It's story time! You ready?
This ones about Legacy + Making an impact or as I like to call it our Heart-work.
photo via
Thirteen years ago (way, way back in the day: hee hee) I volunteered for the Humane Society, a "no kill shelter" in Truckee CA where we used to live. We fostered dogs, adopted dogs, found animals homes and I was on the board of directors.
At the time we didn't have much of a shelter. We used a small, old, grungy, dark building to house the animals. Better then nothing, but not great.
We had a lot of heart and a vision.
Some serious dedication.
And an amazing animal loving town but we were maxed out on space.
It was past time to build something new.
So we made a projected budget, drew up plans, looked for land and formed a connection with animal control. Now it was time to raise the funds.
Word of mouth. Adoption day advocacy. Small events. Local PR. We kept moving towards the dream. One baby step at a time. My Mantra : ONE DAY we WILL have an amazing shelter. This will be worth it. Must keep going. (Remember this was before the kickstarted + indie-gogo social media fundraising campaign days so things took even more time)
Ok, yeah, yeah. So what's the point gia.
Hang with me it's coming up...
A few months ago I found out that the new shelter was finally finished. I couldn't believe it actually came to life. I had to go check it out. Ironically over the Thanksgiving holiday we we're going to Truckee so it was time to see it with my own eyes.
I have to admit as we approached the building it took me a moment to realize that this was actually real.
Here I was 13 years later about to open the door to enter the brand new shelter and honestly I felt like I was walking into a piece of my heart.
Yeah, it happened.
And I was a small part of it.
A woman greeted us as we approached and asked if we would like a tour.
Heck Yeah! That's why we're here.
We started out by sayin' hello to the cats.
Some peeked at us as from their perches and others zipped down their ladders from their "kitty condos" as fast as they could to share some purrs and get some pets. We snuggled. We watched. We played. Their little meows and greetings were so cute. Something about stepping into their new cozy space felt incredible. There is no shortage of love here.
And now off to see the dogs. My fav.
I heart rescue muts. And if I had land, I'd have a million of them.Just sayin'.
I'd recently caught sight of this big guy Ralphie (below) via Facebook and felt drawn to him the first time I saw his cute face. OMG I hope he's here.
I started to get excited and a little nervous as we opened the door to enter the hallway.
Was Ralphie here?
Was he in a foster home?
What does he really look like in person? What's his personality?
What if I want to take him home? How am I going to convince my husband? :)
And what-do-ya know. Guess who was looking up at us from his bed as we passed the first door to our left?
Ralphie! I said.
The girl giving us the tour kinda looked at me like, how do you know him? She had no idea that I've been cyber stalking him for months and have a not so secret crush on this guy.
Can we go in?
I have to meet him.
She opened the door and he imediately stood up and started wagging his tail while I talked to him. MY HEART melted. I did my best not to cry. He was so cute and loving and I couldn't believe when I saw him in person how much he reminded me of Timber my rescue pup who died 3 years ago.
Ralphie wiggled around as he held a ball in his mouth making fun talking noises to us. He loved to rub up against our legs and lean in while he made the please pet me swoop walk by.
Honestly.
Time stopped.
I heard nothing our guide was saying.
I froze in this moment.
It hit me.
THIS is what patience leads to.
THIS is what fighting for something you believe in feels like.
THIS is what happens when big-hearted people work together.
THIS is what leaving a legacy can look like.
THIS is why we must keep going.
And continue to share more love + kindness + speak up for what we believe in.
I'm not gonna lie and say it was easy to leave.
It sucked.
I held back my tears.
Gave Ralphie one more hug and told him I knew he'd find the perfect home.
Even though I wish he could come with me.
Now here's why I'm telling you this story...
Because as much as I love creating a lifestyle full of heart-work and helping others to do the same sometimes it sucks. And it's not easy.
Why?
Because quite often it takes time to see the impact.
Which takes patience.
Ah yeah, that dirty word.
Patience.
I'm not a waiter-a-rounder kinda girl. I'm guessing you might not be either.
Especially if I'm trying to help someone else.
Or in the case help animals find homes.
I just can't seem to do it fast enough.
But as much as we stop our feet and throw our fists in the air like the blueberry girl from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory, we can't make things go any faster.
And honestly we don't always get to know how we helped or the exact difference we made. We just have to believe that we are. And keep doing what we love in our own ways.
Then every once in awhile something happens and we get to see first hand how our time, energy, love and kindness have paid off.
So whatever dreams your working on.
Whatever moves your heart.
Whatever you're doing to add some more love in the world.
Keep going.
Don't stop.
It matters.
It is happening.
And maybe one day you'll get an opportunity to walk into your heart like I just did.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Thank you for being a part of this big-hearted community.
What's your story about legacy or heart-work? Want to share? Email me.
Big Hugs,
This ones about Legacy + Making an impact or as I like to call it our Heart-work.
Thirteen years ago (way, way back in the day: hee hee) I volunteered for the Humane Society, a "no kill shelter" in Truckee CA where we used to live. We fostered dogs, adopted dogs, found animals homes and I was on the board of directors.
At the time we didn't have much of a shelter. We used a small, old, grungy, dark building to house the animals. Better then nothing, but not great.
We had a lot of heart and a vision.
Some serious dedication.
And an amazing animal loving town but we were maxed out on space.
It was past time to build something new.
So we made a projected budget, drew up plans, looked for land and formed a connection with animal control. Now it was time to raise the funds.
Word of mouth. Adoption day advocacy. Small events. Local PR. We kept moving towards the dream. One baby step at a time. My Mantra : ONE DAY we WILL have an amazing shelter. This will be worth it. Must keep going. (Remember this was before the kickstarted + indie-gogo social media fundraising campaign days so things took even more time)
Ok, yeah, yeah. So what's the point gia.
Hang with me it's coming up...
A few months ago I found out that the new shelter was finally finished. I couldn't believe it actually came to life. I had to go check it out. Ironically over the Thanksgiving holiday we we're going to Truckee so it was time to see it with my own eyes.
I have to admit as we approached the building it took me a moment to realize that this was actually real.
Here I was 13 years later about to open the door to enter the brand new shelter and honestly I felt like I was walking into a piece of my heart.
Yeah, it happened.
And I was a small part of it.
A woman greeted us as we approached and asked if we would like a tour.
Heck Yeah! That's why we're here.
We started out by sayin' hello to the cats.
Some peeked at us as from their perches and others zipped down their ladders from their "kitty condos" as fast as they could to share some purrs and get some pets. We snuggled. We watched. We played. Their little meows and greetings were so cute. Something about stepping into their new cozy space felt incredible. There is no shortage of love here.
And now off to see the dogs. My fav.
I heart rescue muts. And if I had land, I'd have a million of them.Just sayin'.
I'd recently caught sight of this big guy Ralphie (below) via Facebook and felt drawn to him the first time I saw his cute face. OMG I hope he's here.
I started to get excited and a little nervous as we opened the door to enter the hallway.
Was Ralphie here?
Was he in a foster home?
What does he really look like in person? What's his personality?
What if I want to take him home? How am I going to convince my husband? :)
And what-do-ya know. Guess who was looking up at us from his bed as we passed the first door to our left?
Ralphie! I said.
The girl giving us the tour kinda looked at me like, how do you know him? She had no idea that I've been cyber stalking him for months and have a not so secret crush on this guy.
Can we go in?
I have to meet him.
She opened the door and he imediately stood up and started wagging his tail while I talked to him. MY HEART melted. I did my best not to cry. He was so cute and loving and I couldn't believe when I saw him in person how much he reminded me of Timber my rescue pup who died 3 years ago.
Ralphie wiggled around as he held a ball in his mouth making fun talking noises to us. He loved to rub up against our legs and lean in while he made the please pet me swoop walk by.
Honestly.
Time stopped.
I heard nothing our guide was saying.
I froze in this moment.
It hit me.
THIS is what patience leads to.
THIS is what fighting for something you believe in feels like.
THIS is what happens when big-hearted people work together.
THIS is what leaving a legacy can look like.
THIS is why we must keep going.
And continue to share more love + kindness + speak up for what we believe in.
I'm not gonna lie and say it was easy to leave.
It sucked.
I held back my tears.
Gave Ralphie one more hug and told him I knew he'd find the perfect home.
Even though I wish he could come with me.
Now here's why I'm telling you this story...
Because as much as I love creating a lifestyle full of heart-work and helping others to do the same sometimes it sucks. And it's not easy.
Why?
Because quite often it takes time to see the impact.
Which takes patience.
Ah yeah, that dirty word.
Patience.
I'm not a waiter-a-rounder kinda girl. I'm guessing you might not be either.
Especially if I'm trying to help someone else.
Or in the case help animals find homes.
I just can't seem to do it fast enough.
But as much as we stop our feet and throw our fists in the air like the blueberry girl from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory, we can't make things go any faster.
And honestly we don't always get to know how we helped or the exact difference we made. We just have to believe that we are. And keep doing what we love in our own ways.
Then every once in awhile something happens and we get to see first hand how our time, energy, love and kindness have paid off.
So whatever dreams your working on.
Whatever moves your heart.
Whatever you're doing to add some more love in the world.
Keep going.
Don't stop.
It matters.
It is happening.
And maybe one day you'll get an opportunity to walk into your heart like I just did.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Thank you for being a part of this big-hearted community.
What's your story about legacy or heart-work? Want to share? Email me.
Big Hugs,
gia
P.S. BEST NEWS EVER! I wrote this story last week and just found out that Ralphie found his new home! Goosebumps!
P.P.S. Congrats to everyone that jumped in on my 2 for 1 coaching special! So excited to work with you! Ever thought about working with me? Want more support around your heart-work? Find out more here.
