and to 2008 - good night and good riddance

And so we have reached the start of a new year, a new chapter in the saga of life. As with many, I am hopeful that 2009 will indeed be a better year. My roommate, Randi and I brought in the new year quietly - playing some rather physically demanding games on the wii and then watching the dog whisperer and dogtown on the national geographic channel. Today on national geographic we also watch some of Earth: a biography which I found very interesting as they talked about polar ice and the recent changes as well as historical changes. It makes me concerned for the melting polar ice and I'm troubled that it seems the changes are taking place much sooner and faster than the experts predicted. I both agree and disagree with the doomsayers about the future of the planet and our need to protect it. I think we look at it backwards most of the time. It isn't the planet we need to save, I think the Earth will save itself no matter what we do or choose not to do. If we keep going as we go, I think the planet will shake us off like the pests we are and will stabilize itself to try again - this time without humanity as we know it. Yet human nature is not to really see or care about the future as much as we should. If we really were able to comprehend what our actions now will cause later - no one would take up smoking or any other unhealthy lifestyle. But it is in our nature to think that bad things will always hit someone else and not ourselves. How many people do you know that are prepared for even a small disaster - say a week long power outage? I know a handful of people that think that having some kind of food and water on hand is a good idea and even less that actually do it. Yet a bad storm can happen anywhere and take power down for a week or more. Still when it happens, most people are not ready. What does that say for the future for our kind? If you do nothing else in this new year, take the time and make the effort to put some food, water, cash and basic first aide supplies aside - even if it is just a little. Make yourself a little more ready to deal with whatever may come than what you are today.
I hope that this year will be a much better year for everyone. I also hope that more people will start to see the importance of taking some basic precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones "just in case".
Peace to all!

Carol