Every training I have ever taken around animal care includes a section on preventing burnout. Working with animals is heartwarming, and it is also heartbreaking. And it is not just animals. Any role where you are in service to another soul opens you to this risk. That is why it matters so much to build in small moments of care for yourself each day. A few 5-to-15-minute pauses to step away, breathe, or find a little joy can help prevent burnout, or at least slow it to something more manageable. This weekend, I took my own advice. For me as much as for you. They say you teach what you need to learn. But my favorite reminder is this, practice what you preach. I spent the last 12 hours today working on a mix of personal and business things. This time, I made a point to honor what I wanted to do while still tending to what needed to be done. I did not push through. When frustration or brain fog showed up, I listened. I got up. Had a snack. Gave some kitty belly rubs. Switched projects. Or simply walked away for a few minutes. It might sound like a time game, but I actually get more done when I do not push myself to the breaking point. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We were not put here just to endure our days, but to live our purpose and enjoy the one life we were given. I hope you found moments of care and presence this weekend. 🙂

If you could be any animal for a day, who would you choose, and what would you do?

In Fresno, a Christmas tradition that began over 100 years ago still lights the way. Christmas Tree Lane started in 1920 as a mother’s tribute to her son, Billy, by decorating a single cedar tree she loved. Neighbors joined in, year after year, until one tree became many and a shared act of remembrance turned into a beloved community tradition. Recently, the original memorial tree began to fail. Rather than let the story end, modern science stepped in. With care and intention, Belmont Nursery helped create genetic clones of the original tree, ensuring its legacy could continue growing. Those young trees now line the Lane, tended by the community and protected for the future. It’s a quiet reminder that trees aren’t just decorations or scenery. They hold love, meaning, and memories, and when we protect them, we protect the stories rooted in them. Sometimes conservation looks like saving a forest, and sometimes it looks like saving one tree and everything it represents. 💚 Hug a tree today and feel their love. 🌲💓

I love when animals remind us how much we still don’t know. In 2024, researchers with the Center for Whale Research (right here in my region) observed something brand new among the Southern Resident orcas; a behavior they’ve named allokelping. Using drone footage in the Salish Sea, they watched orcas carefully break off pieces of bull kelp, then hold the kelp between themselves and another whale, rubbing it along their bodies with a purposeful intent. This behavior was seen across different ages and pods, often between whales that are closely related or similar in age. Whales with more flaky, molting skin were more likely to do it, suggesting the kelp helps with grooming, skin care, or comfort. What makes this even more powerful is who we’re talking about. There are only 73 Southern Resident orcas left and they are critically endangered and culturally unique. These beautiful creatures are still teaching us new things about intelligence, connection, and care for one another. If you want to learn more about the Center for Whale Research, you can find them in my Classroom. And if you’re still looking for a meaningful Christmas gift, there are orcas available to adopt, which directly supports the work protecting them and their habitat. When we protect animals, we’re not just saving lives, we’re protecting knowledge, culture, and moments like this. 💙

We think of elephants as unshakable giants. What we don’t often see is how delicate their first days truly are. When a newborn elephant loses their mother, they lose everything: food, protection, comfort, and the constant presence of their herd family. These babies arrive without teeth, entirely dependent, and emotionally shattered. A single hour can make the difference between survival and loss. That’s where Sheldrick Wildlife Trust steps in. Each orphan requires round-the-clock care by dedicated Keepers who stay with them day and night, forming deep bonds with these precious souls. These caregivers notice every subtle change from appetite, energy, posture, and digestion, because those small signals can mean the difference between life and death. What makes Shedrick’s work even more profound is that elephants grieve. They feel loss deeply and many orphans arrive withdrawn, distressed, and calling for their mothers. Their healing doesn’t begin until they feel safe enough to bond again and have a reason to keep going. When they do find a reason to survive, the transformation is extraordinary. The tiny, vulnerable calf slowly becomes strong again. Their energy returns, curiosity blossoms, playfulness ensues, and they start becoming the elephant they were born to be. Decades from now, that once-fragile orphan will stand as one of nature’s great titans with their own family because someone chose to show up during their most vulnerable moment. It’s easy to talk about conservation in broad terms. It’s harder, and more important, to understand the daily devotion, emotional labor, and sheer persistence behind saving one single precious life. 🐘 Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has dedicated decades to this work, setting the global standard for raising orphaned elephants with care, patience, and respect to help them get back to the wild where they belong. There is a link in my classroom to check them out and if you are looking for a Christmas gift with huge returns, check out their adoption page.