I am struck by the impermanence of everything.
Everything around me is so temporary.
Life is fragile, fleeting, brief.
And yet, it seems we almost all live in ignorance of this fact.
We hold grudges and have petty disagreements when much bigger things are at stake.
What is life really all about?
And why do we see such terror, misfortune, famine in the world?

I ask for things to get better. Everyday I ask.
For wars to end, for lives to mend; but what does that really accomplish?
Are not those solutions only temporary?

My life was once transformed for the better, and yet, each new day it has the potential to change again, for better or worse.

Am I becoming like the discontented, disenchanted teacher from Ecclesiastes?
I don't know.
That would not be my objective.
I would still consider myself to be quite the optimist.

Perhaps I just need to ponder this more.

(The picture is something I took at UC Santa Cruz when courtney and I were there on our road trip. We were walking in a field and came across this little dear, and we were both shocked to find that it was dead. It really looked as if it could have gotten up at any moment. It was a strange curiosity. There was no blood or any wounds to be found. Its fur was a little bit wet, but mostly, it seemed like a fine young fawn. It looked as if this little creature had just barely entered into this life before it had to leave again. Strange, and at least for me, strangely beautiful.)