FRAGILE : HANDLE WITH GREAT CARE

YES, WE ARE ALL FRAGILE, AND MORE THAN A LITTLE,ACTUALLY.

CONSIDER A SINGLE STRAND OF OUR DNA, RNA...ONE SEQUENCE OUT OF PERFECT ALIGNMENT CAN BE CATASTROPHIC.

A VERY SLIGHT CHEMICAL IMBALANCE IN ANY HUMAN TISSUE CAN MEAN AN END TO HEALTH, OR MAY BE LETHAL.

WE HAVE LITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE.

HOW OUR BODIES MAINTAIN SO MANY CHEMICAL BALANCES EACH MINUTE IS
MIND-BOGGLING.

BE AMAZED AT YOURSELVES, FELLOW HUMANS!

EACH STEP WE TAKE CAN BE EITHER THE FIRST STEP ON A GREAT JOURNEY OR THE LAST ONE WE LEAVE IMPRINTED ON THIS EARTH.

WHO CAN SAY WHICH IT WILL BE?

A FRACTION OF A SECOND CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A LIVING ORGANISM AND ...NOT...

AS LEAVES THAT FALL IN AUTUMN, SO FALL NATIONS, CULTURES, HUMAN BEINGS, AND WE CANNOT KNOW WHEN THE FALL MAY COME.

BUT, LIKE THE LEAVES, EVEN IN THEIR FALLING, WE LEAVE OUR "MARK", WHETHER BY THE 'COLORS' OF OUR EXISTENCE, THE MEMORIES OTHERS HAVE OF US, OR BY THE WAY WE LIVED OUR LIVES AND THAT LIFE'S EFFECTS ON, PERHAPS, UNKNOWN OTHERS.

EVEN FALLEN LEAVES GIVE LIFE TO THINGS THAT LIE BENEATH THEM, FERTILIZING EACH SMALL SPOT THEY OCCUPY AS THEY BECOME SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING WE MIGHT EVEN SAY IS VERY GOOD.

WHAT DO WE EACH HOLD IN OUR HANDS EACH DAY?
OUR LIVES?

THE LIVES OF OTHERS?
DREAMS?
HOPE?

ANOTHER CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS BETTER, TO FORGIVE, TO BE FORGIVEN FOR WHATEVER REAL OR IMAGINED INJUSTICES OR 'SLIGHTS' OR OVERSIGHTS WE MAY HAVE COMMITTED OR HAD COMMITTED AGAINST US?

HOW MUCH OF THAT LONG-GONE PAST IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE CAN'T JUST LET IT GO, GET BACK TO A BALANCE WITHIN OUR OWN MINDS AND HEARTS TODAY, NOW?

THAT ALL WE ENCOUNTER HAS DEEP VALUE IS A GIVEN, BUT, ARE THOSE THINGS, THOSE LOVED ONES, EVER ACTUALLY "OURS"?

WELL, THE MEMORIES WE HAVE OF THEM ARE CERTAINLY OURS, OUR FEELINGS ABOUT THEM, BUT HOW MUCH MORE THAN THAT DARE WE CLAIM?
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"WORDS CAN NEVER BE UNSAID, DEEDS CAN NEVER BE UNDONE"...

TRUE.

SO WHY DWELL ON WHAT WE CANNOT GO BACK AND CHANGE?

WHY NOT BEGIN ANEW, WITH THIS MOMENT?

WE'VE USED UP EACH MOMENT OF OUR PAST, WHETHER WISELY OR NOT.

NO NEED TO WASTE A SECOND IN OUR PRESENT DWELLING ON THAT.

SIMPLY SAYING "I'M SORRY", IF THAT NEEDS SAYING, EVEN TO THE MIRROR, SHOULD SUFFICE, FOR THAT IS ALL WE CAN DO FOR PAST ERRORS.

THEN WE LEAVE THE PAST TO ITSELF AND SQUEEZE EACH MOMENT OF THE PRESENT FOR ALL WE CAN SQUEEZE OUT OF IT, SAVORING EACH SWEET DROP.

OR WE SIMPLY LEARN FROM EACH MOMENT, IF THE SWEETNESS ISN'T THERE.

 THE "WORST TIMES" OFTEN PROVIDE THE BEST LESSONS.

REGRET AND REMORSE MAY WELL BE ADMIRABLE, BUT NOT WHEN THEY ROB US OF OUR PRESENT DAY.
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 THE POSSIBILITIES OF OUR PRESENT CAN BE HIDDEN FROM US BY THE DARK AND DREARY SHADOWS OF THE PAST THAT WE BRING TO THE PRESENT BY PULLING THAT VEIL OVER TODAY, RIGHT NOW.

"OUT THERE", THE SUN STILL SHINES, AND THERE IS, SOMEWHERE, JOY, AND ALWAYS HOPE, AND ALWAYS SOMETHING WORTH THE STRUGGLE, OR THE WORK, OR THE "PRICE WE PAY" FOR WANTING TO JUST LIVE.

I STATE THIS POORLY.

REALLY, THERE ARE NO WORDS IN ANY LANGUAGE TO SPEAK THE LONGINGS OF OUR HEARTS.

WE EACH HAVE LONGINGS FOR OURSELVES AND THOSE WE LOVE... FOR HEALTH, FOR PEACE, FOR HAPPINESS, FOR ENOUGH OF ALL GOOD THINGS TO SUSTAIN US AND SEE US THROUGH EACH NEW DAY.

WE ALL MAKE PLANS, WHICH IS ALSO ADMIRABLE, BUT TO TRY TO LIVE IN THE FUTURE IS ALSO VANITY.

WHAT GUARANTEE HAVE WE OF ANOTHER DAY?
WHY NOT JUST FILL UP THIS ONE WITH ALL WE CAN GATHER FROM IT?

WHY NOT GIVE ALL WE CAN TO EACH NEW DAY, IF IT COMES?

A VERY YOUNG CHILD SMILED AT ME FROM HIS PERCH IN A SHOPPING CART IN A LOCAL STORE.

BEAUTIFUL CHILD, BEAUTIFUL SMILE.

I SMILED BACK.

HE LAUGHED.

ME, TOO.

SOON, EVERYONE NEAR US WAS LAUGHING.

IT WAS INCREDIBLE, AND ALL FROM JUST A SMILE.

ON A RECENT RAINY, GLOOMY DAY, I SUDDENLY FELT THE LOSS OF ALL WHO HAVE GONE FROM MY LIFE, FELT QUITE ALONE HERE ON THIS OXBOW IN THE DEEP WOODS.

NOT LONELY (WOULD THAT ANYONE, ANY SOMEONE COULD EXPLAIN LONELINESS TO ME!), BUT I FELT SET APART, KEPT FROM THOSE I HELD DEAR AND HOLD DEAR STILL.

AS THE RAIN ENDED AND A NORTH WIND BEGAN TO BLOW,
THE FATTEST WEE BEETLE LANDED SUDDENLY ON A WINDOW PANE NEAREST THIS COMPUTER SCREEN, WHICH IS POSITIONED SO I CAN LOOK OUT ON ACRES OF TALL TREES, ROLLING HILLS AND WATER.

IT BUSIED ITSELF EXPLORING THE COLD GLASS, OBLIVIOUS TO MY WATCHING IT, JUST DOING WHAT A BEETLE MAY DO.

THEN, THE MOST DELICATE DRAGONFLY I HAVE EVER SEEN ALIT ON THE OUTSIDE WINDOWSILL, JUST BELOW THE WEE BEETLE.

I HAD NO IDEA DRAGONFLIES WERE STILL ABOUT SO LATE.
EXQUISITE CREATURE!

A HAWK SWOOPED IN FROM NOWHERE TO TRY HIS LUCK AT A SQUIRREL THAT HAD COME OUT OF HIDING FROM THE RAIN AND WAS FRANTICALLY DIGGING IN FALLEN LEAVES FOR HIS STASH OF ACORNS.

THE SQUIRREL ESCAPED INSIDE A NEARBY HOLLOW STUMP.

AND, SUDDENLY, JUST AS SUDDENLY AS THE SENSE OF GREAT LOSS HAD OVERWHELMED ME, A SENSE OF BELONGING TO SOMETHING FAR GREATER THAN MYSELF PERMEATED MY MIND, FILLED ME WITH EXCEEDINGLY GREAT JOY.

THOSE WHOM I HAD SO SUDDENLY MISSED SO VERY MUCH SEEMED TO BE EVERYWHERE!

i LAUGHED ALOUD.

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LIFE ....IS...

IT IS FRAGILE, YES, AND TO BE HANDLED WITH OUR UTMOST CARE, BUT LIFE, SO LONG AS WE HAVE BREATH, STILL IS.

IT IS...PRESENT TENSE.

NOT WAS...

NOT WILL BE...

IT JUST IS.



I HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE WELL...

FRAGILITY...

HUMAN NERVE CELLS, SYNAPSES FIRING AWAY.  
OUR "DELICATE WEB OF LIFE"?

,,

MICROGRAPH OF A SINGLE HUMAN CHROMOSOME.

NOT AT ALL 'SIMPLE', BUT SO FRAGILE.