Note: As I was finishing this post - still very much in the draft form you'll find below - my daughter came in to my office to alert me of an active shooter situation at Evergreen High School, where both kids and many friends attend. By good fortune, both our children were off campus when it happened, and are safe and sound. Tragically, we have heard three students have been taken to the hospital; it is still an active and horrible situation. Needless to say, the idea of love - boundless love, love for one's neighbor, for those near and far, for our fellow humans, regardless of perceived difference - resonates with me now more than ever. So, apologies for the draft-y edition of "Mountains of Memories," but please read, digest, and most importantly, go out there and love one another.
November 27, 2004, Devil’s Nose, West Point Island, Falkland Islands/Malvinas
Don’t anthropomorphize.
I know that’s a cardinal rule of studying animals. As humans, we’re inclined to see other creatures through our lens, attributing human characteristics, emotions, to the critters we see.
Fortunately, I’m not a wildlife biologist or ornithologist, nor was I in the South Atlantic to study anything specifically, so I’ll call it like I saw (anthropomorphized?) it:
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I’m so glad your children are ok and I am surrounding all that suffered from the shootings at Evergreen in love. Thank you for reminding us of how important love is.
Thank you, Marcy. Your love is felt, and much appreciated. We're getting through it all, and just hoping for more peace in our community, in our world. Thank you, and be well.