Saturation and catastrophizing

Two weeks ago we had record rainfall and subsequent flooding. Saturated soils were unable to retain all the water and it began it's downhill run into the tributaries and rivers. What had been a dry winter turned into a soggy one. Just when people were worrying (and creating catastrophic predictions) about dry wells, empty reservoirs, shriveled crops, burned up lawns, and massive wildland fires consuming the forests... all those concerns were washed away and sent into the Pacific via the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.

Walking through our gently sloped meadow it was easy to see water flowing downhill. The creek was high, but never came close to exceeding it's banks. The clay soil here absorbs a lot of water but when the saturation point is reached all the spaces between clay particlers are filled and the only thing left to do is for the water to pool or run downhill. Less than a mile from us people have sandy soils and the water percolates much easier (they also have a lot of problem finding water for wells) and it too began to pool. Eventually that water has to go somewhere- to the streams, rivers, roadways, basements, farms, and onto the city streets. A rainfall like this clogs up natural and constructed drainage systems. It is such an anomaly that the system isn't used to dealing with it.

It seems to me the human organism isn't too different. When we eat too much sugar or drink too much caffeine our systems are overloaded and can't get rid of it quick enough. Our nerves are over-charged and one way we discharge it is by "the shakes" or some other physical activity. This is also true of our psychological system. When our inner world is emotionally overwhelmed there isn't enough room to take in anymore. Our higher order thinking skills are hijacked by our survival instincts. In a way we become super-saturated and our systems rigidify. Our natural fluidity becomes more static and, if held in that state for too long, we get stuck. We either need to remove ourselves from the things that are saturating our system or to find something else to counteract it. Water, food, humor, sleep, comedy, or positive friends help.

The road shown above  is the one with the lowest water and my sole access to home.

Around here, if you drive a truck into deep clay and then let it sit until August, you won't get it out until the rainy season.

Our planet is the ultimate closed system. There is no other viable place to put the waste from 7 billion people. In 1968 I remember Jacques Cousteau saying that it is already too late to save the planet- that enough damage had already been done. I don't know if he is right or not, but I do know that we've successfully turned around some major environmental problems by recognizing that there is a problem and applying our ingenuity- and be willing to sacrifice some of the extravagances of our lives. Will we be willing to do that for the sake of others? Will we be able to adopt an attitude of service, kindness, and generosity to such a degree that we saturate the world with it? I know we have the capacity to do it.