Filson Campfire Stories: Love is Kindness, and Kindness is Power

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Rendezvous 2019

Watch my Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Campfire Stories talk live on Youtube

I pressed my index and middle finger into my chest and took note of how hard my heart was pounding. I started calculating how vigorous one's heart thump before one passes out can?

In Hell I'll Be In Good Company, the familiar bluegrass tune starts playing, and that was my cue to get on stage. With a final deep breath, I slowly stood to make the journey to the well-lit platform. I was terrified I wouldn't remember a damn thing I was supposed to say.

But a curious thing happened when I took the first step onto the stage. One look down at the crowd, and my heart slowed down to a manageable pace. The knees that couldn't stop shaking during rehearsals never started up again. The sweat on my cold, clammy hands mysteriously evaporated. I was calm, eager to tell my story, and ready to put on a show. What was happening to me?

"I am honored to be here. It has been such an amazing weekend connecting with so many like-minded folks. I am here to share a different perspective on hunting. You will see what I mean in a second as things will quickly unravel themselves during the story," came out smoothly. My voice wasn't shaking like it usually would from the severe shyness I have suffered for as long as I can recall. One look at the crowd that radiated love and kindness had healed me. A miracle had happened in front of everyone's eyes, and no one knew it.

Campfire Stories hosted by Filson was the closing event at the 8th Annual BHA (Backcountry Hunters And Anglers), Rendezvous. President and CEO Land Tawney had opened the evening with a powerful message of admiration. For the generous and can-do-attitude of the thousand folks in the room that have propelled memberships to double in size in just a few short years. Allowing us to make a change in the way wildlife conservation was being managed in North America.

Tawney expressed how vital community was for change. This crew was the perfect example of it, through our collective kindness towards each other. His remarks stirred up enthusiastic nonstop cheering and clapping from the crowd. Through the hoots and howls, Ashley Kurt, also a storyteller, leaned over at that perfect moment and reassured me that this was the best crowd to talk to. No matter what I said, everyone would be super supportive and enjoy every moment of it. She also pointed out it didn't hurt that everyone has been drinking all afternoon at the Wild Game Cook-off. The reassurance was what I needed, and I held on to her words of comfort for dear life and believed it with all my heart.

For as long as I remember, I have been painfully shy. So much so my body would physically hurt when I had to muster up the courage to talk to someone in a social setting. My parents wrote it off as rudeness when I didn't acknowledge my elders. Instead, I hid behind their legs and kept my head down. My grade two teacher, Mrs. Wong, called me a slow learner and a retard during one parent-teacher meeting. English wasn't my first language, and I was too afraid to attempt to speak up for myself. In high school for the first few years, I ate my lunch alone in the library because I had zero social skills. With no patience for post-secondary school and no degree, the first job I could secure was door-to-door book sales. The first day, I sat on the sidewalk and stared at a house for two hours before I had the guts to knock on the door. Currently, I sell software, and before every phone call, I still get butterflies in my stomach.

If you've told me just a few years ago, I would be public speaking, writing, and exploring the beautiful mountains of British Columbia with just a backpack. I would have looked behind my shoulder to make sure you had the right person.

I hope you can see that you can do whatever you want. It's up to you to determine your worth, not others. Furthermore, you can pivot out of whatever path you are on at any time.

Easier said than done, I would not have been able to go down the path I've gone with many mentors found through the BHA. Therefore, surround yourself with folks you admire, respect, and aspire to be like. Circle yourself with those that are loving and kind because those are the people that will give you the power to move mountains.

I felt the true power of what love and kindness can do on stage at the Rendezvous. It healed me from a lifetime of crippling shyness and gave me the courage to persist in pursuing my passions.

I now have the confidence to say I want to be a public speaker and a motivator sharing the message of love, kindness, and self-empowerment. I want to be a writer, a great explorer, and a protector of our wild places. I want to be broken in the mountains and molded into someone with more patience and compassion.

We all have something we want, a dream we want to chase that was long forgotten about when the burden of adulthood overwhelmed us. We forget those original desires that were meant to provide us purpose and peace.

I hope this encourages those that feel defeated and hopeless to continue to move forward. To lift all those around me and inspire everyone to join me on this crazy calling to chase our curiosities. But all that can't be done without the kindness of a community. Love is kindness; kindness is power.

Let's continue growing this incredible crew. If you would like to join or volunteer for the BHA, contact me to get connected!

Thank you for taking the time to read this story.

Love,

Jenny Ly

This story is also published on Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and shared on their youtube channel.