Despite the many problems in the world, the leaves managed to be beautiful this year.
And the forests managed to get ready for winter, as they have always done.
I wondered what created the small clouds of red in the understory, and was informed by my plant-identification app that it was the burning bush. Unfortunately, as I also learned, the burning bush is considered invasive because it outcompetes native species whose berries have a higher nutritional value for migratory birds.
Not for the first time, it occurred to me that life as a migratory bird is probably a lot of work, and we (people) don’t exactly make it easy for them.
This week, I listened to a French talk show in which the expert maintained that we (modern civilization) don’t consider the miracle of photosynthesis as much as we ought to.
The expert pointed out that fossil fuels will eventually be depleted and, as they go, we will lose many of the attributes of modern society that we take for granted, such as longevity and education and agriculture (food). Europe, he pointed out, was already in a period of decline, as its consumption of fossil fuel peaked in 2007. I couldn’t imagine a show like this having much of an audience in the United States, even after the ‘Blue Tsunami.’
On my run, I tried to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, even though it, too, was probably ‘sponsored by Fossil Fuel.’
The George Washington Bridge glowed in the late-afternoon sun.
As did the Manhattan skyline, which I could see through the tree growing on the riverbank.
It was nice to see the park in the late afternoon instead of in the early morning, when I’m usually there.
The heather is perfect in every kind of light.
The pain in my left foot that I’ve been nursing was barely perceptible. Maybe my new shoes — also sponsored by Fossil Fuel — were helping.
Pleasantly weightless and staring into the warm, diffuse light, I found it easy to believe that all of us — me, the birds, the forests, and civilization — were going to be okay.
