i can observe the changes occurring around me and embrace the struggle to accept them, to respond to them, to adapt to them. i can look ahead and live today holding space for tomorrow.

i can fight for what we can still curtail. i can play a part, not live apart, and i can act with care for others when the floods hit, when the seas rise, when the snow melts, the rivers run dry, and the flames rage. defeat may only be a failure to adapt.

if fear is the absence of breath, and faith is a positive force, i want to breathe

 into an uncertain future.

          if this tree species and all the people connected to it gave me one great gift, it is this: 
the realization that there’s simply no imaginable tomorrow—no modeled future scenario, 
no amount or shade of red—that could ever possibly nullify the need for unwavering care and thoughtful action today. to me, that is thriving. to me, in this rapidly changing world, that is grace. it is how i choose to live with what i know.

                                                                                                                 lauren e. oakes
                                                                                                                 in search of the canary tree