This pre-dawn meditation altered me deeply.
     I'm struggling to fathom all that I feel.

This weekend, driving through the dry desolation of the San Joaquin Valley,
     I saw blow-torched vineyards,
          Uprooted nut and fruit trees stacked like kindling,
                Abandoned orange groves with fruit rotting on the ground.

All for the lack of water.

Is it folly to build an empire, a dream without carefully nurturing 
     A natural, yet scarce resource?

In our daily lives, do we waste and overlook those special moments
    That, fully embraced, would transform our intertwined lives?

Balancing dreams, planning for the future, and living in this moment
     Requires us to acknowledge we have little control over events.

Stillness, surrender and acceptance of the immediate world around and within us
     Provides a clearer path.

By living in this moment, we achieve the grace to participate in
     Our future.