WORDS LIKE LIGHT
Friday, December 31, 2021
It will be good to consider the population of the world today – indeed, the population of the universe. I usually think of population only in terms of the people that dwell with me on earth, but surely that doesn’t begin to account for the full population of our limitless universe. What about the countless animals that occupy the earth with me – the billions upon billions of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, earthworms, dust mites, coral polyps, fleas, and fruit flies, etc.? Shouldn’t they be counted as members of the population? And what about the endless mountains and trees and flowers and rivers and hillsides that dwell with us on earth? And the countless stars and planets of the cosmos? Surely they should be considered as members of our population. But then there are the winds and breezes and storms and sun rays that are our neighbors on earth and in space. And can we leave out the thoughts and feelings that somehow flow beside and around us – and sometimes through us? We live with them, so surely they are part of our population.
It will be good for me, today, to be aware, as much as possible, of my fellow residents in the universe – the wasps and silkworms and antelopes and valleys and feelings and lonesome people in Pennsylvania and light-years-away stars. These are all my fellow citizens and neighbors. I should smile more often as I move among them – maybe even wave to a winter tree now and then, maybe say a soft hello to a passing wind or drifting thought.
STILL IN DESPERATE NEED For the streets of her life, she does a disorganized, sheltering dance for herself and others, since the streets show her so many amazing ways to travel. When she peeks into her life, she sees simply a million helpful streets, always starting cautiously to assess where she should go and how they can help her go there.


