On a recent walk to Catawba Falls, I walked past a little boy as he casually remarked, “So, you know how monarchs are going extinct?”
“Dude, I’m standing right here…”
I tried to keep my cool as I strolled on by, though my heart cartwheeled in my chest while my brain shrieked: “Holy shit, monarchs are going extinct?!??!” [Full disclosure: I have paid very little attention to the news for about a month. I just can’t with the…everything. Truly. I can’t. I hit a wall. So when I heard that kid’s offhand proclamation about monarch extinction, I panicked. Of course I’ve known for a while now that monarchs are in dire straights, but my initial thought was this: Sometime in the past month, it was announced that monarchs are officially, well and truly going extinct. Like there’s one left, it’s got a bad upper respiratory infection, and things don’t look good.]
I leaped online as soon as I got home and quickly discovered that nothing significant has changed with the monarch situation. They’re not even listed under the Endangered Species Act yet (although that seems ridiculous). I heaved a sigh of sort-of relief, cursed that little boy for his callous, inaccurate words, and realized that, despite my greatest wishes, I’ve got to start paying attention to the news again. I can’t keep my head in the sand all the time. Even the most reluctant ostrich needs to face reality, even if the first headline she sees is about a woman getting sucked out a plane window.
Sigh. 😑
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Ayyy noooo. News can be so opposite to uplifiting. I sometimes just read the title and that is enough! Also some news are super uplifting and some videos are super funny and some talks are so inspiring! FOCUS ON THE GOOD MIJA! XOXOXOXO
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I’ll try! I did just read an article about one of the Little Brothers I work with tackling a shoplifter at the supermarket where he works, so that was pretty uplifting!! 😄
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Oof – my news junkie friends ridicule me for being so out of touch, but seriously – who needs to know this stuff?! Let’s meet under the sand and pretend that all’s right with the world! xoxoxo
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We are here to witness the creation and to abet it. We are here to notice each thing so each thing gets noticed. Together we notice not only each mountain shadow and each stone on the beach but, especially, we notice the beautiful faces and complex natures of each other. We are here to bring to consciousness the beauty and power that are around us and to praise the people who are here with us. We witness our generation and our times. We watch the weather. Otherwise, creation would be playing to an empty house.
Annie Dillard
Kelly,
This you do extremely well. An impossible feat with one’s head in the sand.
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Love that quote, and thank you. 😘
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