One Wild and Precious Life

It snowed today. Beautiful. Serene. Quiet and white and delicate. I watched from a warm interior, and I worked a little, cooked a little, walked in it at sunset to buy bread from the local store for tonight's dinner of vegetable soup. I was quite happy, quite contented. I told a friend what I was up to, and he, living as he does in Morocco, remarked that he missed the rain and the snow. I considered this and reflected that I take for granted the regularity of rain and snow in my part of the world. I had the luxury of enjoying the beauty of it without having to think about what it means to live in a place of drought.  An article I recently co-authored was published last week. It is about renewable energy in Morocco and projects that help mitigate the effects of climate change: soil erosion, carbon emissions, water resource management. It is one thing to write about it, to apply for grants for projects to help those who are not as lucky as I am, but quite another to live without reli

First day of the new year - 2022 is full of promise and unexpected things. I embrace the unknown.  Things to be grateful for: - I own a car and can pay for gas to travel. I have the freedom of adventure. My world is not circumscribed by my neighborhood or town. I know I am lucky in this. - I have access to technology to communicate with anyone, anywhere. I can reach out to loved ones and strangers alike. I can check on people and make sure they are safe and well. I can learn about the world. I know that not every person, especially not every female, has this access. - I made it through another year without getting sick. I did not lose my family. I did not lose my job or my home. There are people working everywhere, every day, to bring this strange and tragic time to an end. I can support their work by staying informed and making reasonable choices, keeping vaccinated and boosted, wearing a mask, keeping my distance. I am lucky that my life allows me to make those choices. - I am loved.