The Universe Is a Funny Thing

I started this blog after realizing that what I was really interested in was learning more about plastic pollution, and sharing that knowledge with whoever wanted to read it.

The reason I got interested in plastic pollution was because I decided to give up a summer in between sophomore and junior year to take part in an 8-week program devoted to studies in oceanography, nautical science, and maritime history. We were 27 students from across the country coming together to learn more about the ocean. We all became friends in those 8 weeks, which I guess happens when you’re all packed into a 130′ ship for a month!

So it wasn’t just the plastic at sea that got me thinking more about our waste. It was that my other 26 classmates also got upset and annoyed by the floating debris. We were all disgusted after finding plastic lodged in the throat of a mahi mahi. These friendships and this shared experience was all part of the catalyst.

These days, I don’t blog as much, for one reason or another. I have posts queued up, then forget. Sometimes, I lose track of why I’m even bothering. Usually though, there’s this moment of “OH, RIGHT!” when I remember why I started it in the first place. That trip, those people, that experience.

That moment happened again today, but under surreal and tragic circumstances. One of my fellow S-218ers was killed last night as she crossed a street in Southern California. A drunk driver was the reason. Random, so all-of-a-sudden, so confusing. As I’ve been trying to work this out, one idea has remained constant: impermanence. Despite our every intention, we are only here for so long and sometimes, something awful happens and we’re here for even less time. So for all those times we say, “I’ll blog later” or “Eh, I’ll call that friend this weekend when I have more time”…why not do it now? What’s stopping us from doing the things we want to do, right now?

In yoga (and as it turns out, in life too) we talk about the “now” a lot. Be here, be present, now. This incident, while tragic and totally not fair, was a reminder to stay in this moment and to not look too far into the future. If I want to post something on here, I do it now. No more waiting. Why wait?