Being An Earthling

I just came in from taking Chauncey out and as I stood there in the night air, I felt that homely deep connection to the earth that I have felt almost everywhere I've ever been. This time it was prompted by the smell of damp earth. Simple wet dirt! It is a smell that I am sure is familiar to people all over the world, one of those commonalities that we all share.

Whether you are used to it from watering your garden, or from the rain pouring down upon the land around you, or even from the potted plants growing in your living room, most of us know that smell. Like the sun and the moon, it is part of being an earthling.

I often stand peering up at the sky, looking at the stars and thinking that people have watched these same stars since time began. There is a feeling that comes to me in the solitariness of the night that tells me we are part of this giant organism called earth and we are so much more alike than any of us really understand. All of the social mores that separate us are just gossamer filaments compared to the sensual sensations of being alive and living in a world where we must share the same air and water, light and atmosphere.

You are my brother and my sister, part of this giant litter of homo sapiens born upon the earth. Isn't it amazing how much more likely we are to relate peacefully to dogs, or cats, or other creatures than each other? I think it is our commonality that causes the friction. Strong willed, determined creatures, not content with the status-quo, eager to move forward and conquer whatever lies before us. Sibling rivalry expanded into world wide dimensions whether we like it, or not. Mother earth resignedly putting up with our ridiculous altercations, knowing that in the course of eternity, we are only memorable en masse.

And yet my love for you is very singular, very one on one. What a strange thing that is!