Eucalyptus and Orchids...  Beauty is where I found it today.  The radio and TV newscasters were ranting today about a problem that is less about America (even though The Donald was inspecting one of his golf courses in Scotland, and he was available there for comments.) than it was about Europe, and about The United Kingdom specifically.  America is only one of the places in the world where ethnic and racial issues are felt so deeply that ordinary people become mired in confusion, and hatred and fear.  Rising above the storms of insecurity and uncertainty is one of the major tasks of all human beings.  Of course there are people who seem to have little uncertainty in their lives.  They seem to have enough of everything they need to get through day after day after week after week and on and on throughout their lives, yet we know that a darkness inevitably comes to everyone, the end for the individual comes; yet perhaps our major task is to learn to rise above the fear of the end of everything we have known.  Nature is our best teacher.  I like the eucalyptus lesson.  The tree starts over and over to grow a new skin.  Without fail the new skin becomes old and eventually falls away.  It is pushed off by new skin coming to protect the tree.  I like that it is happening on the eucalyptus trees growing around me in San Diego.

...And, of course, there are the orchids at our house that remind us that they only seem to be dead.  Suddenly a plant that seemed to be dead puts out the most wonderful, most alive display of life imaginable.  Life is good.