hoedl's haven - June 20, 2006

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Velociraptors, triceratops, brontosaurus, hypsilophodons and numerous other varieties. Picture them all coexisting in a long-forgotten past; lazily bellying up to a lakeshore or river bed to drink and cool off on a very hot prehistoric summer day. Now imagine yourself sitting right next to them - but at a safe distance - on that same river or lake shore.

Can you imagine yourself sitting right there? Well, it may not be as difficult when you realize that the water that is pouring out of your tap is the very same water that was present - but obviously, filtered and refiltered - when our large lumbering friends were present on this planet. It's staggering to imagine, isn't it? It's almost as mind-boggling as grasping on to the reality that some of the starlight we see in the evening sky is light projected from tens of thousands of years ago and now that star is burned out... although we won't be able to visibly see that until tens of thousands of years from now.

My friend, we coexist in an ever evolving and recycling ecosystem. Nature reminds us that nothing is ever truly gone. It may be converted from one energy source to another. It may be physically altered from one state to another. Or it may be simply be recycled... over and over and over again. From the seeded clouds high above the mountain range... to a gentle shower over the hills... to a trickle into a silent stream... to a foraging river headed to the ocean... to the magical process of evaporation from the ocean's depths, returning to the clouded skies to begin the journey again...

Within each of us lies the genetic code that allows us to remain connected to and represent all the past generations of our lineage. In essence, when someone meets you, they are also meeting a small portion of all those relatives that came before you, that added to your present genetic makeup.

Nature reminds us subtlely, mysteriously and powerfully of the cyclical, progressive and interconnectedness of all Life: connecting species to species and connecting past to present to future.

So belly up to the tap in the present, pour yourself an ice cold glass of the past and toast the future.



Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Velociraptors, triceratops, brontosaurus, hypsilophodons and numerous other varieties. Picture them all coexisting in a long-forgotten past; lazily bellying up to a lakeshore or river bed to drink and cool off on a very hot prehistoric summer day. Now imagine yourself sitting right next to them - but at a safe distance - on that same river or lake shore. Can you imagine yourself sitting right there? Well, it may not be as difficult when you realize that the water that is pouring out of your tap is the very same water that was present - but obviously, filtered and refiltered - when our large lumbering friends were present on this planet. It's staggering to imagine, isn't it? It's almost as mind-boggling as grasping on to the reality that some of the starlight we see in the evening sky is light projected from tens of thousands of years ago and now that star is burned out... although we won't be able to visibly see that until tens of thousands of years from now. My friend, we coexist in an ever evolving and recycling ecosystem. Nature reminds us that nothing is ever truly gone. It may be converted from one energy source to another. It may be physically altered from one state to another. Or it may be simply be recycled... over and over and over again. From the seeded clouds high above the mountain range... to a gentle shower over the hills... to a trickle into a silent stream... to a foraging river headed to the ocean... to the magical process of evaporation from the ocean's depths, returning to the clouded skies to begin the journey again... Within each of us lies the genetic code that allows us to remain connected to and represent all the past generations of our lineage. In essence, when someone meets you, they are also meeting a small portion of all those relatives that came before you, that added to your present genetic makeup. Nature reminds us subtlely, mysteriously and powerfully of the cyclical, progressive and interconnectedness of all Life: connecting species to species and connecting past to present to future. So belly up to the tap in the present, pour yourself an ice cold glass of the past and toast the future.