"What time is it?" "Time to feed the creatures." |
And it's funny how, once upon a time, we would've been agog at the very idea of two inches of precip in one night.
But then we moved to a tropical island.
These days we just shrug and say, "Welp, at least we don't have to water today."
The mud was slick and everywhere as we headed out to feed the many creatures who count on us at approximately the same times every day. I (predictably) worried about the horses (and one venerable horse in particular) slipping and falling.
On the fly, today's routine was modified thusly:
In two hours, maybe three, the ground was nearly dry.
These days we just shrug and say, "Welp, at least we don't have to water today."
The mud was slick and everywhere as we headed out to feed the many creatures who count on us at approximately the same times every day. I (predictably) worried about the horses (and one venerable horse in particular) slipping and falling.
On the fly, today's routine was modified thusly:
- Empty the water from the customer's feed container
- Fend off the impatient customer
- Fill the feed container
- Quickly extricate self and move on to the next customer
- Repeat repeat repeat...
We are, all of us, adaptable. Though always creatures of habit, we can, when necessary, change longstanding behaviors to accommodate the unexpected.
***
It's not a stretch to predict that 2025 will challenge the American capacity for change. Not just tweaks around the edges, but soul-wrenching, seismic distortions of the relative predictability we (incorrectly) take for granted.
If you think this is hyperbole, I'd ask you to consider, as a whimsical thought experiment, what you'd do if you're mistaken. How you might adapt to a government you no longer recognize. How you'd respond to people—family, friends, neighbors—you may no longer find trustworthy.
You won't have to imagine such things for long. In 20 days or so (and many days after that) we'll know. And we'll adapt, as our humanity allows.
***
The rain today stopped a little before sunrise, and by mid-morning the clouds had passed to the north.
In two hours, maybe three, the ground was nearly dry.