In 2013, Alie Ward's life was falling apart. In a matter of months, her relationship with her partner ended, her dad was 1 with a rare form of cancer, and she was also feeling a gap between the career she had chosen and the person she wanted to be.
To distract herself from her 2 , Ward liked to find and take 3 of bugs which she has loved since she was a little kid. Sometimes, if she found a beetle or a bee that she particularly liked, she'd 4 it on Facebook. Those posts attracted the 5 of a woman named Lila Higgins, who studies 6 at the local natural history museum. After seeing Ward's pictures, Higgins 7 to Ward and invited her to go on a tour of the museum.
At that time Ward was emotionally fragile, and meeting someone new in that state made her nervous and teary. However, her passion for bugs outweighed her anxiety.
Upon Ward's arrival at the museum, Higgins warmly 8 her and handed her a lab coat. She then led Ward through various 9 . "I remember she opened up this freezer, like, 'Come check this out, ' and it was full of dead bugs, " Ward recalled. "Although lifeless, these samples held significance for the natural history museum, serving as evidence to nature's diversity. I was also impressed by how 10 Higgins was, which made me feel passionate about the work for the first time in a long time, " Ward continued. Noticing Ward's 11 , Higgins suggested she 12 at the museum for a few hours every week.
Despite her doubts, Ward decided to 13 Every Wednesday, she'd arrive at the museum. And with each volunteer 14 , she felt a little bit better. "It gave me this sense of 15 . It helped me reconnect with my love of 16 and nature that I'd always had, " Ward said.
Soon, Ward 17 her job and started working in science media. She now is the creator and host of a podcast called Ologies. Ward had Higgins on the show as her first 18 . "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't taken her up on her 19 . What would my life have been like? It's not a nice thought. Who would I be? You know, Lila Higgins, in one instant, 20 my whole life, " said Ward.
