Dazzlement

 

Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise. We are alive against the stupendous odds of genetics, infinitely outnumbered by all the alternates who might, except for luck, be in our places.  - From The Lives Of A Cell by Lewis Thomas

I often ponder my role in life's mysterious twists and turns. I think about those who have traveled before and remain in memories with me on my journey. Lewis Thomas's book, THE LIVES OF A CELL, deals with the probabilities of our existence and its amazements. 

Imagine one ancestor missing a connection with another, meeting death too soon to meet that connection. Or not even finding the connection in the first place. Without connections through the generations, I would not have an opportunity to write these musings.

I agree with Thomas that we should remain in a "dazzlement" at our presence on this earth. Why do we not awaken each morning dizzy with gratitude? Why do so many feel entitlement and not responsibility for their actions? How have individuals lost the desire to delve into and dwell in the amazement of the natural world? How can we take anything for granted?

Darwin's Notions

I’ve hitchhiked in cells of ancestors,
as they survived disease, famine and war.
Always the magnets of egg and sperm
collided in time. Whew, I'm here!

A click of virtue or coy regret along the way . . . and no me.

I’d like to think I’ve tripped inside mitochondria of wild ones,
defiants who left comfort to commit experience.

One ancestor tied her life up with stars
in a foggy sky. Chased wind with daisies 
Hid bits of  lilies in her hair.
Barefoot, she focused on breathing.
Raced into the dazzlement.

In her book, GREEN SPACE, GREEN TIME, Connie Barlow writes, "Our star system was born of a colliding outwash of exploding stars. We now know that every element on earth and in our bodies was created in a supernova that blew up in this sector of the galaxy some five billion years ago."

We arise from reworked stardust and should exist in a state of wonder. Take time today to acknowledge it and write your stardust dreams. 

Share your dazzlement.