“This river I stand in is not the river I stepped in.”
The world around me moves in one direction – always westward towards tomorrow. What was ever fades, degrades, dissolves. Sunrise, sunset. This air I breathe has passed through billions of moments, plants, insects, bodies. Breathed in, processed, metabolized, exhaled, exuded, reprocessed.
This place I sit unmoving – is moving itself around sun and across the universe. I am at rest in motion. This water I drink has been consumed countless times, touched countless lips, passed through uncounted orifices and pores. Drifted over every continent, flowed in rivers long forgotten.
And what of this food? Grow in dirt formed from space dust – containing atoms blasted from the death of stars. Each particle, mineral, every nutrient being a recycled bit of another living thing long dead and forgotten. Soil nurtured by composted wastes of rotten fruit and the detritus of the living past.
Every thing that sustains me now – once sustained another living thing. How can I own anything when it has all been borrowed from the yesterday world that was here before I was even a possibility?
I often think of there being no new water but had never thought to extend it. Very thought provoking. I like being surprised by a whole new angle
It is surprising isn’t it? That all just occurred to me tonight. It started with the air and how when you are in a room with other people you are all sharing and breathing the same air in the same room in the same space – and each of those same breaths takes some of the liquid from your body and passes it into that shared air and into other bodies so that atoms that flowed through your veins is now flowing in their veins and vice-versa! Kinda gives a whole new perspective on a face-to-face meeting
You are a deep thinker for sure, sir!
Such a good post Merlin..
thank you for your encouraging words. thought I was kinda rambling so glad you found my musings had meaning
It’s obvious but I’ve never thought about it in such depth – the ultimate recycling post
it is obvious and I had never considered it before. yet we often avoid thinking about the obvious and instead ponder the improbable.
how true.
but in this obviousness lies the story of how connected we all are !
Nothing created or destroyed. The ultimate in reincarnation. Nice musing.
reincarnation via recycling
Stunning! I love this…wise, raw, wonderful:-)
I am glad you enjoyed my verbal cosmic ramble
Wonderful prose! I espically like space dust!
I find space dust all over my book shelves
lol it’s funny to think we are all kind of crawling round in space dust! Like those ear sluggy things in Wrath Of Kahn