The Gift of Life is Squandered
Especially By Those Who Receive the Best Gifts
Yesterday was a good day.
I managed to water my gardens solely with rainwater from a barrel that I have attached to a spout. It captures runoff from the roof during a storm. The barrel needed refilling, but then we were gifted some rain and, in a few minutes, bingo, it was full to overflowing. My plants were thirsty, as the rain was followed by a week of hot, humid days. Now, I’m sitting in my 1970s ranch enjoying the central AC and reading about a major heat wave across much of Europe and the US. Wow!
Yesterday was a good day, but today extinction is in the air.
I’m having a wobbly day. Mostly because I’m reminded that I might be living in the 6th mass extinction, something that we rarely talk about over coffee in the morning or wine in the evening. After all, I have my AC set for 72. Thus far, I can afford my utility bills. So, stories like the one below, often don’t seem real.
Dang it! Many of my friends and I have been planting butterfly and bee friendly plants for some time. To watch them flitting around our yards is such a treat. But the warnings about the monarch have been with us for a while. There! We’ll pop some more milkweed seeds in the ground. Now, let’s keep our fingers crossed. Shall we?
Of course, it doesn’t stop with the Monarch. It never does.
I drive through the countryside and see beekeepers from time to time. Thank you! Keep up the good work. But this year, I’ve rarely seen a honeybee in my garden. Is it too hot? Do I not have the right plants? Didn’t the fact that I no longer use any pesticides help?
I’m back in the house.
It’s too damn hot today to sit on my patio. I’ll try to get back out there this evening. I have a cardinal in my yard. He seems to be returning several times a day.
That makes me feel good.
I’m cooling off now. It sure would be nice if this hot weather would break. My utility bills are going to be high this month. I pull the blinds in the living room to block out afternoon sun and conserve energy.
I really shouldn’t complain.
I know that. There are so many people across the world, even in the United States, who suffer in this heat without AC. As I prepare a light snack, I wonder what it must be like to walk several miles every day to fill a container with water and then walk home again — in the unbearable heat no less.
SIGH
The gift of life is debatable but there’s no question that some of us get a better gift than others only to squander it to a greater or lesser degree by refusing to care for what we were gifted.
It’s too easy to take things for granted until they’re — gone.
Teresa is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
