Rain is a rare treat in this town; but after the six inches of snow dumped on us in Tuesday’s storm, followed by a cold and cloudy Wednesday and Thursday, it began to rain during the night. It was still raining when I awoke. Today is my favorite kind of day – gloomy, cloudy, and rainy, but not terribly cold. The wind has picked up and showers are expected off and on throughout the day. It is the kind of day that urges me inward, where I find comfort in that place beyond the physical world. I sit, sipping coffee or tea, where I can gaze out the window. I am deeply aware of my many, many blessings in this moment, while thousands are being evacuated from their homes due to devastating fires. In other parts of the world, people are being flooded out of theirs. This, on top of the pandemic, can cause us to either feel immensely afraid, or to feel amazing grace and gratitude.
Too many things are occurring in our world now, to remain in a state of denial. Global warming is accelerating and ascending upon us like an angry tsunami. It is a time of reckoning, a time to atone for the damage we have done. We cannot sit back and bemoan our personal misfortunes. We cannot rely on our government or politicians, or our neighbors to make things right again. We must all do our part. It is going to take all of us together to set our tipping world upright again.
Looking up into the night sky at the billions of stars, or looking down from an airplane at the billions of people in the sprawling cities, it is clear that individually, we are nothing. We are infinitesimal and insignificant. We are dispensable. Still, we are alive and breathing in this moment, at this particular point in time, because we each have something to do. What we do alone may seem futile, but collectively, all of our tiny acts of kindness, may save the world.
