The Edge of Summer

Much has been written about summer and its attraction. One near universal American experience is the endless summer days without school or obligations. As a teacher I get to experience these as an adult and I can report that they are just as good. As the summer begins to end there is a feeling of nostalgia that arises. We are beginning a time of rapid change. In the seasons, the weather and the media. The days of June and July are long and stagnant. With just a few hours of breathable air in in the mornings we must rush to get in our activities before the heat sets in. From 6- 10 am there is a breeze blowing through the city, warning its residents of the oppressive heat to come. By 10:30 the warm air refuses to move and the choking heat begins to rise. August is a marathon.

A Green Heron standing at the edge of a drying pond.

As we strive to make sense of our changing world I find myself wondering why humans are so resistant to change. We have evolved big brains to solve problems and build community. We have strong legs for walking, climbing or running. Our eyesight is some of the best in the animal kingdom, excellent at picking out patterns. Yet, when a minor change occurs in our life we panic. We are unable to accept that the world is capable of such drastic climate change and therefore we choose denial over action. After teaching climate change for more than six years now, students want to know how this happened. How did we let it get so bad? Why do people refuse to believe? They desperately want to have faith in their fellow humans and their ability to make the right decision.

For the past several years August has become the month of the wildfire. Its the month where the cracks in the argument begin to fail. The trees creak and scrape with dryness in the breeze. The green hue of their leaves turned yellow from the heat. The whole city is holding its breath for the next great rainstorm, hoping it will arrive before the next great fire. But all around I feel the edge of summer approaching. This is the last gasp. As our world travels, changing its tilt towards the sun ever so slightly, we are soon to get a break. We pass off the suffering to another part of the planet and we get a reprieve.

This coastal wildflower represents evolution in harsh environments. It has a prickly spine with tough leaves and even tougher seeds. Yet it still blooms a delicate white flower.

With the news of UFOs and who knows what we decided to watch “The Day the Earth Stood Still” for the nth time. I had forgotten that the film was rather openly about climate change. Yet, the professor character asked the Alien how they were able to become so advanced. The Alien responded that they were forced to evolve as their sun began to die. The professor responded that “evolution only occurs at the precipice of catastrophe.” Its true, evolution doesn’t occur in stagnant environments, without change, species can not change. Maybe this is our precipice.