puzzlement

Marsh Marigold

One of the primary lessons from writing this blog is that the world is, at the same time, ordinary and miraculous. I often find that I am filled with wonderment by something that most people would consider self-evident or routine. I remember one time on Martha's Vineyard when Dick Crowley said that a conversation I had initiated made his head hurt. I honestly don't know sometimes whether this emphasis on the miraculous within the routine is helpful or not.

The arising and passing away of phenomena in the natural world has often been a cause for wonderment. The marsh marigold, along with thousands of other species, are now showing themselves in my world. A month ago they were nowhere to be found, and I mean nowhere. If you wanted to view a marsh marigold, where in the world could you possibly go to see one? Now they are here. For a few days and weeks they will seemingly be everywhere. Then they will be gone.

This dynamic seems like the movements at a departure gate at a large airport. An area will be empty, then people will start to arrive, it will be full of activity for a short time only to be empty again. This pattern repeats itself over and over. Why do I even care?