I recently read Jane Goodall’s The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times. She lists four things that give her hope. One is the resilience of nature. I think about the giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park and how they have survived both droughts and wildfires. I imagine all they have witnessed, some for 2000 years.
Throughout the book Jane tells stories of how humans have worked together to make small changes that have an impact on their community. In watching the news, there are few stories of humans working together toward something positive. But watching the firefighters intently monitoring the sprinkler system and doing all they can to save the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove restores my faith in humanity.
I wish I could hear what these giants are saying about the tiny people weaving around their roots in an effort to save them. What is changing in their needles with all the smoke? Are their trunks already in the process of growing a new protective layer? With all the uncertainty in the world right now, I look to the trees for their endurance and strength.