Nature

I do not believe in magic as we think of it. Objects moving out of thin air, casting spells, etc. are really cool to imagine but to me, magic exists in the real world as nature. I really think how plants and animals just exist and grow naturally is magical. The way everything in nature adapts to the weather and season changes. (How my plants are able to survive the torment I put them through is also magical!) Maybe it is because I cannot fathom something existing without human intervention but it is really cool to learn about. It is a never-ending cycle- the more I learn the more I want to learn. One question leads to another, leads to another, until I realize just how much I did not know and still do not know.

One day I purchased a geode to break open from a local store on a whim. I was not strong enough to break it open myself but it was still really fun. I looked at the crystals inside and realized that it didn’t just appear one day, it evolved to be like that. In the past I did not give it much thought but now learning how some things came to exist is really cool to me. The more I learn about nature the more I realize how things are all connected and there is a delicate balance between everything. Disturb one thing and other things suffer. This is similar to life and dealing with your health. If you neglect one part of your health (mental or otherwise) things start to get out of balance and it escalates until you have to take the time to heal.

I recently purchased a book on how trees communicate and learned they are connected with each other underground through a network of fungi. Cool, right? After learning something new it makes me look at things in a different way. I notice more things than I did before and it helps me to appreciate my surroundings more. Especially when I go out on walks because there is a lot to take in and I know there is so much that goes unnoticed. Sometimes you have to consciously look because it can be hard to get out of your head. The more you do it, in small steps, the easier it gets in time. 

The more I learn about nature the more I am convinced that we are built to survive, no matter how crazy or how hard the conditions get. We will adapt to pretty much anything if we want to get through. Watching nature documentaries, I am shocked to realize what crazy ways that wildlife can overcome harsh conditions to survive. I remember learning about this frog during winter when it freezes it stops breathing and its heart even stops. It froze over and was basically dead and then somehow it comes back to life like nothing happened. Like really? Sounds like something from a movie or science fiction book. I like to think that humans would outlive animals but I think they are smarter. I am not shocked that the orcas are fighting back against boats. Animals get traumatized just like we do. Eventually the more we neglect nature and shrink their living spaces they are going to react and we might not like how they do that. I already think that is what kickstarted COVID, but what do I know.

One positive from the pandemic was when we humans had to quarantine and gave the planet a reprieve from us for a bit. It was really cool to see what changed but also made me sad how much of a negative affect we have on the planet. Every time I go out and see a bunch of trash or damage to nature and it reminds me of how selfish we have become. It just seems like we want more and more and we do not care it is costing us our home. Forests are shrinking, glaciers are melting away that we can never get back. There is a new crazy natural disaster every month or massive fires burning down everything to ash. Sometimes I wonder when we will realize it is time to stop being stuck in our own world and start getting serious about taking care of this planet we are on now. Maybe the billionaires will be able to afford moving to another planet but not everyone. The distrust in science and climate change is frustrating to me and only puts us further behind. If people really cared about the future generation and the unborn, what about the future of the planet they are going to live on? 

 "Only after the last tree's cut, 

And the last river poisoned

Only after the last fish is caught, 

Will you find that money cannot be eaten" 

~song 'Reclaimation' by Lamb of God 

I finished this Earth puzzle by Blue Kazoo (https://bluekazoo.games/). It was really fun! Highly recommeneded.