The Bobby Rock Newsletter #81 (10-22-22) - An Extraordinary Human
The Bobby Rock Newsletter #81 (10-22-22) - An Extraordinary Human
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My Friends!
Thanks yet again for dropping into Newsletter Land with me today. This issue will hit really close to home, as I’ll be talking about my BFF, who I love like a sister. Will also have a couple other tidbits, as well. Hope you dig the read (and the vid link at the end). Let’s rock it!
In This Issue:
- An Extraordinary Human: My BFF has lived an exemplary life in service to the disenfranchised, the forgotten, the unwanted, and the sickly… and I’m sure they’re all grateful. But what else has her “Hero’s Journey" yielded, particularly to those closest to her?
- Journal Reflection: When we answer the Call (you know the one I’m talking about)… how might those in our life—as well as potentially many others—be positively affected?
- Drum Vid Vault: Switching gears a bit here… it’s an arena rock thing!
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An Extraordinary Human
In the great Joseph Campbell’s “Hero's Journey” model, he illustrates how the Journey always begins with a Call to Adventure, and the potential hero’s decision to either accept or reject such a call. Most of the time, the call is rejected. Such is the ordinary nature of humanity… of our desire to stay safely in the zone of life’s predictable comforts and delay such a journey to an elastic future. We will get to it later, we tell ourselves.
But what kind of extraordinary things happen when we answer that call... beyond a magnificent conclusion to the storyline? How might our own future be uniquely and forever altered? How might many in our immediate inner circle of friends and loved ones be forever changed as a result of our answering the call? And what might the residual effect be for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of other beings?
Let me tell you a story about how a spontaneous reply to a Call to Adventure altered the course of hundreds of beings, both human and animal. I know this story well, because I’ve had a front-row seat to it.
Meet my BFF, Minoo (pronounced “me-new”), AKA Moo Moo. Among many other things, Moo Moo is a longtime vegan and big-time animal advocate who has directly affected the lives of, quite literally, thousands of animals.
Forever the animal lover,
here’s a recent shot of Moo Moo
with a baby donkey friend in the LA area
here’s a recent shot of Moo Moo
with a baby donkey friend in the LA area
Through nearly two decades of a family-tight friendship with Moo Moo, I have seen her engage in an incomparable level of “deep-in-the-trenches” help for animals of all stripes (particularly cats and dogs), the total extent of which would be impossible to convey here. We’re talking hundreds of homeless, abused, and/or sickly dogs and cats rescued, healed-up, and fostered… many of whom came through her doorway, sticking around for months or longer—often at an astronomical personal expense to her for their medical care—until she could find the perfect home for them; Hundreds of feral cats TNR’d (Trap, Neuter, Return) in the LA area to stop the cycle of homeless cats breeding; And countless other instances of assisting new adopters and fellow rescuers through a myriad of challenges... all without soliciting fanfare, accolades, or reward of any kind. It’s been quite an extraordinary thing to witness: a perpetual Hero’s Journey, quite honestly.
And while Moo Moo has answered the Call a kajillion times on one level of another, there was one instance in particular that I wanted to bring up here, largely because of the incredible trickle-down effect it’s had, and the implications of such an effect on so many other's lives.
Holly
Around midnight one evening in November of 2010, Moo Moo had just dropped me off at my place in North Hollywood and was driving the twenty minutes back to her house in Northridge. En route, she noticed a commotion on the side of the road, and caught a glimpse of a small cat running away from a few folks who were gathered in front of an apartment building. Uh oh. Could this be an animal in distress, she wondered? She pulled over and was told that a “wild” (feral) cat had been hit by a car and needed medical attention, but since the cat was still able to amble about, they couldn’t catch her. Moo Moo called me immediately.
“Booby!” (Yes, she actually calls me “Booby.”) “Grab a cardboard box and get over here right away. We have to catch an injured feral and get her over to the emergency room!” she said, before telling me her exact location.
“Uh, Moo… are you fucking high? You won’t be able to catch a feral without a trap,” I reminded her.
“Find a box and get over here NOW!” she said, ignoring my skepticism. Click.
So I did, and to this very day, I can’t tell you how what happened next actually happened, once I showed up with that box fifteen minutes later: After briefly disappearing behind a few parked cars, she came fast-stepping toward me—injured kitty safely in the box—barking, “Let’s go! This little girl needs help right now!” I didn’t ask any questions.
Within ten minutes, we were pulling into a 24-hour emergency facility, handing “Holly” over to the professionals. (Moo Moo had already named her Holly, since she was found in North Hollywood.)
Things didn’t look good for our girl, given the injuries she had sustained from the impact of the car. But we had a chance to see her for a few minutes in this oxygen tent thing post-treatment. And while I’m not sure what compelled me to take such a sad photo (beyond my optimism that she would have a miraculous recovery), I did, and here it is:
Unfortunately, it would be the last time we saw her alive. Holly went to kitty heaven at sunrise and, as injured and sick ferals love to do, left us with a $1200 bill! Fortunately, however, our favorite LA-based rescue group—Kitten Rescue (with whom Moo Moo has done quite a lot of volunteering for through the years)—was able to step in and pick up the tab through a special fund they have for such emergencies. So very cool of them.
Going the Distance
At the same time, both Moo Moo and I took the loss hard. Not sure why, given all the various animal losses we had endured together in the years prior. (After all, when you have a BFF like Moo Moo, lots of TNR, rescue, adoptions, and the like become a big part of your life, as well, and this will include some devastating losses along the way.) Nonetheless, Moo Moo received another Call to Adventure shortly thereafter, which arose solely out of her own consciousness: With zero athletic leanings or interests, she would raise money for this Kitten Rescue fund by running the LA Marathon the following spring, in memory of Holly!
Say what?
This was for real. She started training diligently, got the word out there and, against all conceivable odds, completed the Marathon some four months later while raising $5300 in donations for this “Holly Fund” in the process. It was remarkable.
Post-race, on the verge of hypothermia,
after one of the coldest and
rainiest LA marathons ever!
But Moo Moo wasn’t finished. She thought, Wait a minute. If I can raise this kind of money without any running experience, certainly many of my fellow Kitten Rescue volunteers could do it, as well.
And so it was. She got Kitten Rescue involved as an official sponsor for LA Marathon 2012, then rallied the troops to start training, raise money via donations, and help some animals. Her first recruit? Me!
At that time in 2011, I wasn’t running at all. I had had a very jaggedy, on-again/off-again relationship with running through the years, unable to maintain any real consistency with it. But Moo Moo basically forced me into it. “Dude, you’re running this next marathon with us. End of discussion!”
And so it was... although, I still remember the first time I went out to run before our training started with the Encino Fleet Feet group. It was just one single, arduous mile. And remember, I was in shape, having lifted weights for years, hitting the bike and the elliptical regularly, doing some martial arts, the works. But running is a different animal, and I had no idea how my 200-pound ass was gonna run twenty-six miles when I could barely do one or two without gasping for air!
Extraordinary Effect
So... what was the result of Moo Moo answering the Call with this fundraising thing? This, of course, would be incalculable to determine, given the thousands of animals and hundreds of families whose lives would go on to be positively affected in the years ahead. But here are a few life-altering highlights:
First, in November of 2011, a month or so after training started, Moo Moo reached out to "the Cat Daddy," world-renowned cat behaviorist, Jackson Galaxy, of the TV show, My Cat From Hell, to see if he might be able to help promote the fundraising efforts. They didn’t know each other, but after hearing about the cause, Jackson agreed to meet with Moo Moo to discuss it, and… the rest is history. The two of them would soon become inseparable, then get married a few years later. Jackson became my "brother-in-law,” and through the years, the two of them have helped an insane number of animals through many different collaborations, as well as through their own generous “open-door” policy to countless animals in their own home. (This has also included ongoing care for all neighborhood strays and ferals, looking out for families of raccoons and possums (plus three rescued chickens) in their backyard, and a gigantic, L-shaped “spa retreat suite" in their dining room for a 31-year-old turtle named Sammy!)
Moo Moo and Jackson
Next, the Marathon fundraiser of 2012—which went on to raise $60,000—would be the first in what would become Kitten Rescue’s most profitable yearly fundraiser… by a mile. Since then, this annual event has raised over $700,000 to help homeless cats and dogs. (This will wind up being a proverbial "million-dollar idea!") And I mention this because Moo Moo was just recognized two weeks ago at Kitten Rescue’s 25th Anniversary Fur Ball Gala in LA for her efforts as the founder of the Marathon event. As for the recognition… Moo Moo doesn’t care. (In fact, I’m sure she will give me grief for this Newsletter mentioning if she happens to read it.) But she’s happy to know that thousands-upon-thousands of animals have been helped with these funds.
Moo Moo and I at a Kitten Rescue
Fur Ball way back in 2009!
How time sails along...
Running Man
And while certainly of lesser importance than so many other aspects of the story, I must mention that my love affair with running began in earnest with my participation in this first Kitten Rescue marathon and has been a major part of my life and training in the 10-plus years since.
Just after the LA Marathon, 2012
In fact, I wound up running two different marathons in 2012 and have consistently been running—at home, on the road and, quite literally, around the world—ever since. I cannot imagine my life without running.
What if?
What if Moo Moo would not have answered the Call to help Holly the cat?
…or would not have answered the Call to run that first marathon?
…or would not have answered the Call to start the official fundraiser?
It’s a deeply sobering contemplation. And… it should really make us think about our own journeys, and all of the “Calls” we let go unanswered… and all of the “What if?” ramifications potentially involved with that.
Here’s to An Extraordinary Human—Moo Moo!—who I am proud to call my BFF.
And here’s to the rest of us, as we answer those Calls in our own Hero’s Journey.
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For more on Moo Moo (and our beloved Barry the Cat), check out my most popular blog post ever here:
https://bobbyrock.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/barry-buddha-bigger-than-life/
For a super-detailed blog series on my exact training regimen for this first marathon, click here:
https://bobbyrock.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/marathon-training-entry-one-the-overview/
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Which leads us to...
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The True Effect to Your “Cause”
Here’s a hands-on exercise for the above contemplation. As usual, it’s best if you can crack open that journal or notebook and actually scribble a few stream-of-consciousness ideas as they come to you. Here it is:
Think about that ultra-important Hero’s Journey you have postponed taking in your own life. Perhaps it’s something you've always wanted to do… a profession you’ve always wanted to pursue… a grand cause you’ve always wanted to begin… a book you’ve always wanted to write… etc. The Key? It’s not something that you can “knock out” in a day or two. It’s a longer-term, game-changer that will take sustained effort over a long time-frame, likely require untold hours of toil in the “discomfort zone," and involve failures and obstacles along the way (all of which explain why it’s been back-burnered in your life).
Now… if you pursued this full-on…
1) How will others in your life potentially be positively affected? (Friends, family, children, etc)
2) How will others potentially be positively affected? (Strangers, animals, future generations, etc.)
3 If you were to never get around to answering this Call, what level of regret might you feel on your deathbed? (Scale of 1 to 10)
(Yes, we like to go deep around here sometimes!)
And now for a little lighthearted arena-rock-drumming-at-soundcheck vid...
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Drum Vid Vault:
The Arena Soundcheck
Here's another behind-the-scenes glimpse of a Lita Ford soundcheck, playing “Close My Eyes Forever”… and digging in! (Digging in so hard, in fact, that my tech Jesse's iPhone was distorting to such an extent that it sounds like extra bass drums are being played!) Oh well… you’ll get the vibe. (From The Family Arena near St. Louis, 9-30-22)
Click HERE, then scroll down to #17
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Thanks again, everybody. Connect next week!
Until then, BR
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