I realize it’s a little early to hope for spring with the official “first day of” not until the 20th of this month. Still, the brighter mornings have begun to light up new ideas as I make my early morning commute to my normal job.
To turtle is sometimes used to describe a sort of awkward clumsiness, rotation, or hapless flailing motion in an attempt to right oneself. It is also an appropriate way to describe how life has been for our household over the past few months.
In January my family excitedly approached the possibility of relocating to a new home – an endeavour that required a significant amount of planning to move the animals and their habitats safely. Along with the need to be ready for moving into our new home we had to get busy with buttoning up our current home for sale and getting ready to get out of it – herding cats would have been an easier project.
It’s funny how you can be so prepared for something only to have it fall through. My family was met with a sudden roadblock that would cancel our plans and leave us staying in our current home. We called the whole move off and decided to settle-in to wait for more stable times in the real estate markets - especially with interest rates skyrocketing, home availability plummeting, and the ongoing threats to economic stability happening around the world.
I think it’s best that I just focus on what is in front of me and direct my energies to the improvements that can be made to my current home and animal care facility. This has me thinking about what I really want CROC to be and what direction I will be taking it in.
My outreach programs have always been reptile-centric. Even in my former rescue I focused on the less loved scaly, creepy, and intimidating creatures. But despite the name and general themes presented it’s never been JUST about the reptiles. I’ve always included a few additional species to build audience intrigue and strengthen the connection people may have with the various animals of our world. I have always enjoyed talking about how every species plays a role in our planet to create the beautiful mosaic of biodiversity around us. Because of this, I think it's time that I shift my business to display the bigger picture of ALL animals that we share our planet with.
I've officially filed the name change for my business to Christina's Reptiles & Other Critters. This is something I've been doing unofficially for a few months now. As with my mission to promote respect for ALL species I want to ensure the message I am spready more accurately reflects what I'm about. Whether a creature is covered in spikes, scales, fur, slime, feathers, or shells. I want to highlight how important they are for our planet and help people appreciate them for all of the beauty they hold.
Through every challenge life has put in front of me I've had to adapt, make new plans, and change my approach. I'm used to change and ready to embrace the next round of hurdles that will come with this year. I'm looking forward to the upcoming event seasons, strengthening my brand, improving on my outreach program options, and of course incorporating some new faces in my team of animal ambassadors.
2022 is likely to continue to be a year full of exciting new things indeed!