Mary Ann Hayes

“Our life is but a grain of sand in the indifferent ocean of infinity.”  Sergei Dovlatov

Simply said — we are, as individuals, insignificant in the universal scheme of things. A self important person only need step outside their tidy little world to understand and reap the benefits of such an absolute truth. Not s single one of us is that big a deal!

Now, the mountains – they’re a big deal. They are room and board to all kinds of wildlife, plant-life, streams, rivers, birds. They have the power to challenge, inspire, destroy, and heal. Spending time in the mountains puts me in my place. I’ve never conquered a mountain by climbing to the top. Yet, I have stood on the summit and felt grateful to have arrived without being swallowed up along the way.

And the oceans? Now, that’s something to brag about. If you wake up one day and discover you are the Pacific Ocean, you have a right to be cocky! You and the moon are in cahoots, (can you imagine such a thing?) and your tides rule as a maritime god. The power of your combined forces is unimaginable. So, if the oceans roll in with epic waves and declare their self-importance, I’d say they have that right.

There is a bristlecone pine tree in the White Mountains of California named Methuselah that is 4,848 years old. If only that old tree could talk! Somehow, Methuselah’s mighty roots have held tight to the earth, extracted necessary nutrients, water and sunshine, and managed to ward off insect infestation and disease for 4,848 years! Imagine the strength at the core root of such a tree. It is truly unimaginable.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to put our self important little selves in perspective. The universe doesn’t really care that we just lost fifteen pounds or that we drive a Tesla. When we individual humans dry up like old prunes and leave the planet, nature won’t care and nothing will happen. Yet, if the mountains blew their tops or the oceans dried up, well now, that’s another story, isn’t it?

Later,

Mary Ann