Trying To Make Sense Of It All

   When you sit on the pier at the crack of dawn, it gives you plenty of uninterrupted time to ponder things.  Once again, the eastern sky did not disappoint.  Even though the cloud coverage was scanty (before the storms set in for the day), the beauty was there...so was the peace.  That serenity is the main reason for my early rising.  Today, however, the thoughts were scattered about in turmoil.  Overnight, the alarms on my phone kept erupting like a volcano.  Two murders had occurred and the killer was on the run.  A young lady and the policeman coming to her rescue were both senselessly gunned down.  My brain cannot wrap itself around such violence...such stupidity....such hatred.  What has become of the world?  Where has commonsense gone?  Where has decency gone?  

  As I sat there exhausted from the constant blaring alarms and the heartache of what had occurred, I felt highly grateful for my upbringing.   We were taught right.  We were raised to respect life in all forms.  We were taught to be kind, generous and loving.  We were taught to be hardworking.  If we wanted something, we worked to get it.  Nowadays, it appears that these values are nowhere to be found.  The whole world has gone to pot and the powers that be are doing nil to correct it.  In fact, they seem to be encouraging it.  Sad...very, very sad.  Think I will sit and stare at the sunrise a bit longer.  Too bad I cannot share the tranquility with  the world...but it is probably in too much of a rage to even see it.

Our World Needs Healing

  As garden work demanded, I was out and about early this morning.  With times being what they are, this is now a necessity and not just a hobby.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  It would not surprise me to see things continue to slide downhill for about a year or so even after the current virus situation is under control.  I figure to get a head start on filling the pantry with canned goods from the garden.  I was also in hopes to fill the freezers with seafood but now that stands iffy.

  Today, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened to lower the water levels of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.  While this is great news for those folks, it is devastating to wildlife and even the local seafood industry.  This is getting to be quite troublesome for those of us who depend upon seafood for sustenance or those who depend upon it as their livelihood.  The inundation of fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico creates deadly algae bloom that kills a lot of the sea life. The algae bloom depletes oxygen in the water. Dolphins and sea turtles are the most noticeable but if they are affected, everything below them has already been decimated.  Entire oyster reefs died with last year's opening of the spillway, hundreds of dolphins perished, along with nigh on that many turtles.  Fish and shrimp were hit hard, too, with thousands being found upon the beaches.  Not only were our fishermen dealt a mighty blow but the tourism industry did, as well.  With the beaches being closed due to toxins, there was just not enough draw to vacation here.  Now, it is to be a repeat situation.  Not too many things cause me to get angry but inside, a gnawing anger is brewing.  Our waters are to be tainted once again and there is nothing we can do about it.

  About mid morning, my thoughts were being twisted and turned and fueled by the turmoil of the world.  I headed to my sanctuary...the pier.  There I can find peace as I sit and meditate.  While there, I heard a familiar sound.  Dolphin blows.  Yep.  A pod of dolphins were corralling mullet for their newborn calves to chase.  The little ones could be seen trying to imitate the adults as they surfaced and rolled.  The sight is always thrilling but, this morning, it was also rather saddening.  Will those little ones even have a chance at life?  Will they be able to frolic and play?  Will they even be able to mature to adulthood?  Not if the spillways continue to be opened.  Our world needs healing in so many ways.