People

Apparently field season has started: “Happy Herping” is an acceptable salutation, my hairdryer lately only dries my hiking boots, and my car contains 6 flashlights, 3 pairs of boots, many cans of bug spray, and enough batteries to power a small robot for a year. Said car also, to put it kindly, is starting to smell of biology (a damp earthy smell).

Or possibly just I’ve gotten to new stage in life. Went out for a night of mildly illicit herping with Angus & Co. No getting stopped by police this time though! Angus always says he’s a professional herpetologist (which, yes, true, but it doesn’t come with a card or badge and give him access to all parks). He always brings nice enthusiastic friends. Why do I only attract the crackpot, creepy, or asshole herp enthusiasts or naturalists?

I wanted to bring some friends, but everyone who would enjoy such an excursion was busy. I told Angus it’s probably because they all either work harder than I do, or have more of a life. He replied, “It depends on how you define life. What are you going to do, sit in a shitty bar, drink shitty beer, and talk to the same old people? Or go outside and find some herps?!” I doubt his parents ever had to wonder in which field he would end up.

I developed an aversion to working with volunteers last year. I never realized just how flaky people can be until I had to depend on them. It’s frustrating when you’re collecting data and some two person thing needs to be done, but you’re lucky if you get a 1 hour head’s up that the other person can’t make it. However, I must admit what made last year’s season possible was a couple dedicated and unflagging volunteers who gave me an incredible amount of their time, but they were 3 out of 15+.

So last season I got kind of arrogant and didn’t want to deal with anyone who wasn’t serious. Just plain enthusiasm was nice, but annoyed the bejeezus out of me if it was just the veneer on top of flakiness or enthusiasm without desire to learn. This last one is the strangest to me: people who define a part of their identity as being so enthusiastic about a subject, but happily wallow in ignorance. I like to teach people about what I love. I don’t understand enthusiasm without curiosity.

But there’s such a joy in introducing enthusiastic (and curious!) people to something you love. The key is when you don’t have to depend on them, and instead can look at the experience the same way they do, a fun adventure. It’s revitalizing to see what you do through the eyes of someone else.

~ by Beelzebufo on March 20, 2010.