Life is Everywhere, Too

-- Susan, every other Sunday

With due respect for the threat the coronavirus pandemic represents, as well as the "new normal" of social distancing that will hopefully reduce the impact the disease has on communities across the world, I'd like to use today's post to illustrate the manner in which--to quote one of my favorite books (and movies), "Life finds a way."


Living things are resilient.

A determined tree atop Mt. Misen, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Even when the environment seems incompatible with life, living things adapt and overcome.

The mountain itself is alive. Mt. Mihara, Oshima Island, Japan

Life finds a way.

Flowers blooming in the rocks, Mt. Bandai, Tohoku, Japan

In summer's heat.

Cicadas: the soundtrack to a Tokyo summer

In winter's cold.

Trees don't mind the snow. 

In the city.

Table for one. Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

In the country.

Inis Mor, Ireland

On mountaintops.

"King of the World" - Nara, Japan

In the ocean's depths.

Magellan. The little seahorse that could.

Life finds a way.

Sakura - the symbol of spring, new life, and the fragility and beauty of existence.

Right now, we face a global pandemic. Statistically, most of us will survive, but all of us have an obligation to protect those who might not, to reduce the burden of the tragedy on us all.


We have a duty to persevere, to care, and to help life--and our fellow human beings--find a way.

The Great Torii, Miyajima, looking toward the city of Hiroshima.

So that when this passes--and it will pass--we remember it as a time when we pulled together (if physically separately) with strength and compassion for our communities, our nations, and the world.


The ties that bind us are stronger than the differences between us.

And we, like the rest of life, will find a way.


Godspeed and good health to all of you. And please, for the love of mercy . . . share the toilet paper and wash your hands.