Hayley’s sister Mckenzie wrote the intro for her feature. I thought it was quite the perfect way to introduce such a fantastic woman to us, please please please take a minute to get to know this delightful person.

“Hayley’s motto in life is “wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” Confucius. She even has this motto inked on her shoulder! Her life rings true to this motto in every way. She is the most thoughtful, kind, and adventurous person I know. On a daily basis she works with people with disabilities. Over the years she has truly taught me and everyone she knows that these are just normal PEOPLE. She loves her job, and thrives. In her spare time you will find her hiking, in the yoga studio, or soaking up the dessert sun. She is a lover of the world. She has traveled to many different countries, and gets a thrill out of trying new foods and meeting new people. She has made life long friends in her travels. She loves family and is the greatest aunt to her niece and nephew. She loves her miniature dachshund Ray. oh, and did I mention she is single!!!!!”

Before you die you want to:
I’d like to be kissed. By a man that really means it. Outside. In front of one hundred of our closest friends and family 😉

So far, what has been your grandest adventure?
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to 13 foreign countries and all over the USA. When I think of my grandest adventure a whole flood of memories invades my mind and it’s impossible to pick just one. I honestly thought that by my age I’d be saying marriage or motherhood has been my grandest adventure, but it turns out traveling has filled my days instead. I fell asleep on a bus an hour outside of Beijing, China and if some stranger hadn’t woken us up I might have never seen the Great Wall of China. Imagine my shock being awaken by a stranger yelling at me in Chinese! I crashed a scooter into a Coke machine in the Philippines resulting in a 3rd degree burn on my leg. But I got back on the scooter and my partners in adventure and I rode our scooters to the most beautiful and secluded beach I’d ever seen. My friend suggested maybe we had died on those crazy scooters and just kept on riding straight to heaven. In Turkey we were so jet lagged that I didn’t even see the Blue Mosque in the light of day until our 3rd day there. I had a Turkish bath with about a dozen other women in the nude, something I’d never experience in Utah! I’ve eaten strange and delicious food, sipped on vodka infused with snake and slept with wombats surrounding my tent. Travel has been such an important part of my life and my journey. Through the process of traveling I’ve learned about other cultures, religions and lifestyles. I’d like to think I’m less quick to judge and more apt to care, as I’ve seen people just trying to make life work in all parts of the world. This perspective has allowed me to continually grow, learn more about my true self and also have a better understanding of what is most important in life. I once heard a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that has really resonated with me throughout my travels. “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Travel and new experiences mean nothing if you aren’t willing to open your heart and mind to learning.

Do you think people are innately good?
The definition of “good” varies so much from culture to culture and even from person to person. All of humanity can’t be born innately good if we don’t have a concrete definition of what good means. In western Amazon the Wari’ Indians ate the flesh of their dead as an expression of compassion for the deceased. In American society this is regarded as disgusting, even evil. Yet in their society it was an extremely important part of how they dealt with death and the disposal of a person’s body after one died. Is it good or bad? It’s difficult to say. Were the Wari’ Indians innately good or bad? For me, it’s very subjective and as a student of sociology I’m always going to try to be open minded and non judgmental about good vs evil. I do think all people are born with certain genetic dispositions and that our choices usually reinforce those genetics. I also think that deep down people usually respond to situations based on their definition of good or evil, but whether or not they are innately a good person, is just not measurable in my mind.

When you climb, or hike, or adventure do you think or feel anything specific?
I’m obsessed with hiking. I love it. It’s my main source of exercise and I’ve always said that I want to stay fit enough my whole life to be able to hike and be outside exploring. I’m into technical hiking or canyoneering but I also love taking my dachshund out on easy trails around Southern Utah. When I’m out camping, hiking, river rafting, yoga-ing and running etc, I feel most at peace and refreshed. I’m a firm believer that my depression, stress and anxiety has been cured by a quick trail run, a 60 minute Vinyasa class or sleeping outside in my tent. Not to mention the physical benefits of being active and getting some fresh air and sunshine. At least that is how it’s been for me. I’ve battled major anxiety since I was 20 years old and I have an extremely stressful job, but I’ve never taken medication. I’m not discounting medications, I know they are helpful and effective for a lot of people. But I just let nature heal me. I know it sounds cheesy, but I also know that many people know exactly what I’m talking about. I owe so much of my happiness to the simple joy that nature and being active gives to me, which is why I’m so passionate about it. I truly rely on nature to keep me sane and healthy, which is why I feel it is so important to protect. Pick up trash along the way, don’t bust the crust, leave no trace!

Who is your favorite teacher? Why?
I’ve been working with people with developmental disabilities for almost 10 years, 7 years as a case worker in Southern Utah. The people I work with are my favorite teachers. My clients and their support teams have taught me to laugh in awkward situations, be kind to others, love my family and appreciate the little things in life. I’ve seen some clients and their families go through issues I’d never wish on anyone, yet they get through them. They make it work, they utilize resources. All of the families I work with never expected to have a child with a disability and they are doing the best they can. There is a famous essay in the disability community called “Welcome to Holland.” It’s about parents who were expecting a lovely trip to Italy. They learned a few phrases in Italian, researched their trip and all that they wanted to see. But then for some unexplainable reason they land in Holland instead. They have to learn a new language, meet entirely different people and they start to realize that Holland isn’t all that bad, in fact, it’s a wonderful place. I love this metaphor and honestly I’d rather go to Holland than Italy anyway, Holland has tulips!
I have to ask myself every morning before I start working if I care enough about my clients to do what I do. If the answer is even partially no, then I’d never make it work for them or for me. They’ve taught me that when it concerns people, you have got to have heart.