Life begins and ends within the earth

It does and it's a struggle. But it's worth it, if you let it be. Some people may find it strange for me to be saying that, as the issue of "worth living" is one that has been plaguing me for years. But I'm not trying to tackle anything on the scale of Life. Just small-letter life as it is lived from day to day, even moment to moment.

When I see the sun high in the sky unfettered by clouds, I cherish all the things it does for us. Maybe it's too hot and I can't stay to gawk long, maybe its rays are coming in at angles and it's too cold. But the fact that it provides heat and light enough to support and nourish us and not so much that it kills us is reason for a small smile.

The moon - a jewel in the night that doesn't have to be there. We'd survive just fine without the moon. But would night be nearly as interesting?

Most of all, the earth. The solid two-dimensional plane undulating beneath our sandals, which turns out to be three-dimensional when you dig! I remember the awe I felt as a kid at the beach, excavating sand to build a castle, idly wondering just how far I could dig if I had all the time in the world.

Our big playground Earth has its limits, but they are completely beyond the scope of a single being. Collectively we can harm the planet, individually we are nothing. I'm grateful for that.