To A Better Year

Day 79: It goes without saying that most of us are glad to see the back of 2020, but the new year opens with a number of situations which could send us from bad to worse. I learned long ago not to utter the words, "What else could possibly go wrong?" because as swiftly as I spoke them, the universe invariably would take up the challenge and give me a demonstration. There is no doubt in my mind that it could be worse, far worse, but as surely as lichens and mosses weather droughts, we have it in us to pull through if we follow their examples of cooperation and tenacity. As a practicing shaman, I draw many life-lessons from Nature. Sometimes she is a cryptic instructor; leading, but leaving her pupil to draw conclusions independent of her tutelage. Or sometimes she is less than patient, and gives a brisk swat upside the head when she feels it's merited. Yet the lesson of the lichen is clear: without the cooperative venture of three partners (fungus, alga and yeast), the community of these remarkable structures would fail. Thus, dear readers, my wish for you in the coming year is that you will learn to live as the lichens do, and that Nature will repay you in kind for your gentle treatment of her creatures.