Mother Earth.
I was running through a canyon the other day that I usually find dry and barren, but on this particular day after a heavy rain it was green and lush with flowering plants. I was amazed by the transformation. Just a mere week earlier it had appeared to be completely devoid of life. The plant life was able to endure the harsh desert conditions, waiting in stasis for the opportunity to thrive again. I thought to myself that this is the way of Mother Earth. This is the way it's always been. Earth's climate has not always been so temperate as it is now. There were times of ice and times of darkness, and despite all of the disasters and calamity, our planet continues to sustain life. I felt a great sense of relief as I came to comprehend this truth. The potentially catastrophic effects of our foolishness and arrogance may lead to our own extinction, but that which gave us birth will undoubtedly persist. As I ran through the rows of proud desert plants thinking about the future, I was overcome with a mixture of joy and sadness at the thought of the richness and beauty of life that will flourish on this planet when our species no longer inhabits it.