Over the weekend I was quietly sitting on the beach and had the good fortune to see a parade of geese walk in front of me. It was amazing. I had never before seen anything like it in my life. I always thought geese stayed near ponds and did not hang out by the ocean. As you can see from the video, there they were, magically walking across the sand. As I watched them I figured out they were on their way towards a marsh-like area of the park. I felt so grateful they were not scared of me, or any other beach goers for that matter, and there was a place for them to go to in the evening.

That experience at the beach was a stark contrast to the one I had at an outdoor art festival where I saw a very sad and disturbing sight. Just so you get a feel for the situation, the temperature was 94 degrees and it was burning hot. A popular weather site said it felt like 108 degrees. As I was wiping sweat from my forehead, I turned my eye and saw a woman walking her very small dog on the black pavement. The dog was whimpering, panting, had her tongue hanging out, and was pulling on her leash. As the dog owner walked past me the dog tried to get closer to where I stood on a small patch of green grass. Obviously, the dog needed water and probably had burned the pads on her paws. I tried to speak with the woman but she said the dog was fine and did not need anything. Everyone standing within a few yards of me was concerned for the dog.

It is so important for us to show concern for others and to appreciate the gifts nature bestows upon us. Animals are so very precious and we need to respect and care for them. How many times in our lives do we stop caring for others? How often are animals harmed? How many times do we see someone throw trash out of the car window or waste precious resources? We can all stand up and be leaders. We can make the world a better place.