I woke up in the night to the sound of rain, and it's a measure of how unusually dry this summer has been that it came as such a surprise. I don't think we got a whole lot in total, and given how smoky our skies have been from Canadian and Western wildfires, I dare say that the rain contained a fair amount of toxicity. I tried unsuccessfully to release that thought...but never did get back to sleep.
Locally, in addition to the smoke and the drought, this summer will be remembered as the beginning of a revamped public bus system, with new routes, route numbers and schedules, and changed or removed stops. To say that all of us dependent on the bus are somewhat anxious would be an understatement. This week is the last on the old schedule, and I am throwing in trips to places that either will no longer be accessible, or will be, in a new way. An extra block has already been added to my walk to the bus stop, which would have been a piece of cake 20 years ago, but at post-65, it's significant. Right now, it is doable, but from November through April, you have to factor snow, ice, walking uphill or downhill in the street because sidewalks aren't always shoveled, etc. Hopefully this will be balanced out by more frequent buses, and more easy access to a few key destinations. No doubt all of us -- riders, drivers, and city officials -- have our fingers crossed for a smooth transition.
Thankfully, we still have a city to take the bus around. The summer of '23 may well be remembered as the one when as a world community, we finally grasped that global warming could mean entire neighborhoods, towns and cities being burned to the ground, covered in mud, or flowing away. I don't think any of us (myself included) completely understood that reality. I must be in the minority, but I find it is making me even more Goddess/Gaia/Mother Nature/Nature-centered ...and strangely grateful to be alive to watch this transition. I am glad She is doing what She needs to do to re-balance and re-vitalize this earth plane. My heart seems to be opening up more and more, as the process progresses. That's what I will remember most about the summer of '23.
