Dust Cloud

Over the past couple of days, the sky here has been overcast and hazy. Most days, the sun isn't visible, and the entire sky is gray. All of this is because of Sahara dust clouds that come over the Atlantic and move through the Americas, making each country gloomier. I had heard about Sahara dust clouds before, in some video about the Amazon rainforest and how the dust from the Sahara provides the nutrients that the Amazon needs, but I don't remember ever experiencing them like this. One dust cloud came about a week ago, but it eventually left and there was one day with sunlight before a new one came along. It's strange that, even though I've stayed inside for over one hundred days in a row at this point, I'm seeing things that I haven't seen before. I wish I had happier things to notice, but at least a dust cloud is something to talk about and marvel at. Novelty is often the only thing that keeps me from hating everything about the world, because when everything stays the same it's easy to fall into a rut and wish that things were better, even though I have no tangible reason why things need to be better. But when there are new things, even new bad things, I can take solace in the fact that these things will change and go away just as they came. It is the middle of a pandemic, but at least I know that it won't last forever. I feel uncertainty about applying to college, but at least I know something will happen, and I won't be perpetually in a state of dread. Those things, just like the dust cloud, will change.

Also, as I alluded to earlier, the dust cloud really isn't a bad thing. It may be inconvenient to me and it may be depressing to not be able to see the sun, but it does serve a purpose. These dust clouds bring rich nutrients to forests on this side of the world, especially the Amazon. We need the Amazon to continue breathing and to continue our existence as human beings. The Amazon needs the dust clouds to continue to grow and be a functional ecosystem. So, we need the dust clouds. They certainly aren't fun to see, but it's comforting to know that they serve a purpose and that they're part of a cycle that has kept us alive and, God willing, will keep us alive in the future.

As I'm writing this, it feels like it makes sense and is something worthwhile. I, of course, have no idea how anyone else will receive it, or if it even is that good. As I've said before, my blog often just functions as a journal, albeit a public one. Writing things like this is therapeutic for me, and I hope that reading my writing can serve the same function for you.

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