Sweat and Rocket Power

Some mornings I look at the blank page before me and have nothing that seems worthwhile about which to write.  You might think that would occur during the slow times, those times when there isn't much going on, but instead, it is mostly when my mind is preoccupied with something.

Usually when I go to bed, before I fall asleep, I remind myself to come up with a subject for my morning post.  I have found that my mind will work on it without me being fully aware, although there are times I awake at night with a "eureka" moment and realize I have been inspired.  That isn't usually the case -- especially if there are other things that are taking up the "processing time" that is the realm of REM sleep when our mind is actively sorting through events and organizing them for later retrieval.  It is the time we recognize as dream time, even though we don't usually realize we are dreaming unless we awaken directly from that state.

I find dreams fascinating.  I know it is just my brain trying to make sense of things and to organize itself into patterns but, it intrigues me to think about the dream when I become aware that it is one, and to try and figure out just exactly what events, or minor piece of trivia, triggered it -- to what is it related.

Last night I had rather strange dreams in which I envisioned myself rotting -- at least my skin was deteriorating and falling apart.  To some, I can imagine it would have been a nightmare, but I just found it interesting.  Was it my mind dealing with aging?  I suppose that is possible, but I actually think it was stimulated from the fresh bread that filled our kitchen with pleasing aromas yesterday.

It was sourdough bread -- my wife makes excellent sourdough bread -- and it releases an aroma that is distinct.  Bread is associated with yeast which is a fungus.  Fungi are part of the natural cycle of breaking down dead things into their component and reusable compounds.  Dead trees in the woods are often covered with fungi -- especially those which are still standing.  The tiny filaments of the fungi penetrate the pores of the wood and slowly break it apart -- much like I dreamed was happening to my skin in the dream.

The entire episode reminds me of what I wrote about a few days ago -- we all are made of the elements of this earth and someday will return those elements back into the earth.  It is part of the cycle of life on this planet.

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are the most common elements in our bodies.  They each are part of cyclical patterns that have existed since the earth was formed.  The carbon released from our breath may have once been part of a Tyrannosaurus which roamed the earth.  The oxygen we breath may have once been a part of some ancient Chinese Emperor.  The hydrogen in a drop of sweat may someday help power a rocket to the moon.  Whether we like it or not, we are physically "one" with the earth.

So, what sets us apart?  Perhaps it is simply the ability to recognize a dream for what it is, the assimilation of data into informative patterns.  Those informative patterns reveal a masterful hand of creation.  By recognizing our limitations as part of the cyclical nature of this planet, we are able to see God and to know that He is not us, but much, much bigger.