07/22/2024
Today, I got out of the house after doing several hours of zoom meetings, writing and research. Within a few minutes, my feet hit the unpaved path with only Nature as my companion. As I walked into the woods, the beauty flooded my mind and left me sitting in the shade, not far from damselflies and a single cabbage butterfly. There, I became lost in thought for quite some time. A verse came:
What Stillness moves
—deeper—
than the stone
—(reaching out)—
far beyond the stars
—(past the Circle)—
of dancing
—black & white…
A Self
—(that Self)—
encompassing
—the All & Everything
Fleshless
—nameless
(Conscious
—without interruption)
So overflowing
—with Love—
that bull elk bows
—and whales sing—
their perfect
—hallelujah?
And when we walk
—(above—
the earth)
—beneath the leaves—
of pine & oak
—(whispering)—
wordless wisdom
—can we sense—
the lessons
—counseled—
by sleeping owls
—(bees)—
sent on their journey
—(no need)—
for bomb or laser
—or A.I.
(a summary of
—things written—
in 1’s and zeros)
—mocking Life—
while consuming
—excess energy—
all to offer up
—a companionship—
empty in its treasure
—but oh, so inviting—
that what walks
—becomes—
only a gaping mouth
—in a tub of flab
(Too busy criticizing
—to ever notice)—
its fall from heaven
—(all to be the master)—
of a name
—so soon forgotten—
and of ashes
—whirling in the wind
Unworthy even
—to make a bar of soap…
And…
—then…
the dove coos
—the sage—
tickles
—at his nostrils
Awakening
—suddenly—
to know the answer
—to smile—
rising up
—to simply—
walk again…
And…
—then…
the dove coos
—the sage—
tickles
—at his nostrils
Awakening
—suddenly—
to know the answer
—to smile—
rising up
—to simply—
walk again…
As I walked back, laughing like a happy toddler as I encountered my own footprints left on the journey there and back again, my mind drifted to the body, its cells and the incredible quantities it holds, and regulates so perfectly.
Sometimes we feel small, inadequate, not up to the challenges life places before us. If you feel like that, get up, get out, go for a walk and consider this:
A little chihuahua has about ten grams of liver tissue. That liver consists of approximately 1,000,000 liver cells. In each cell are roughly 1,000 mitochondria, the tiny energy producing factories of the cell. Inside each magical mitochondria there is a protein called ATPase, which turns like a ceiling fan as it creates energy molecules necessary to the cell. All together, each liver cell has 1,000 to 2,000 mitochondria.
If we total all this up, we discover that a little chihuahua liver has about 60 trillion ATPase molecules, all spinning at breakneck speed as they create all the energy needed for that liver to do its work.
The ADHD me snickers at this. When people told me to sit still, I said I couldn’t…and looking at all this motion, it’s truth that none of us who breathe ever really sit still. But, I digress…
60 trillion! That’s a huge number. We know about trillions of dollars thanks to our government’s deficient spending, but how big is 60 trillion? If we considered each molecule to be a dime, and then stacked those coins one atop the other, we would have a tower of dimes 669,000 miles high. That’s the distance equivalent to 2.8 trips to the moon.
Isn’t that remarkable? And that’s just a chihuahua liver. You’re so much more than that. And that’s how my weird neurodivergent mind sees things. It’s why I think you…and your chihuahua (or whatever furry critter drops hair on your couch) are so very, very special.
