Take My Love, Take My Land...

Life can be tough but think of how the penguins feel...

Watched March of the Penguins today while attempting to engage my brain in activities that didn't involve stress or worry. What I ended up with was time spent contemplating the idea that no matter how bad things in life may sometimes seem, there are always people or creatures who are having a tougher time than one's self.

Take into account the Emperor penguin. Here is a creature that breeds in an environment that is harsh, barren and unforgiving. The mere fact that ANYTHING is able to reproduce in sub-zero Antarctic temperatures is a miracle in the first place, let alone what these creatures have to endure to protect themselves and their offspring.

If you haven't seen the movie, I'd recommend seeing it, at least once. Even if you are not a fan of documentaries, there are still many things in this movie to reflect on.

As I watched the film, I was struck with the notion that the bullshit I wade through every day is nowhere near what these creatures have to deal with. The human animal's life may be complex but it seems that a vast majority of the stresses and pain in our lives are self-inflicted.

While it's true that there are many things beyond our control, there are tons of things that are. These choices center around different avenues in our lives such as who we choose as our mates, what we choose for our careers, what school we choose to attend, etc. It is each of these choices that help to chart a course for our life, whether the destination is what we wanted or not.

Some choices, while they may have been good in intent, lead us down paths that result in misery. Others that may have been painful and uncertain options to pursue may lead us to happiness and content.

It's a tricky thing, walking out one's door everyday. You never know what to expect. You just get up in the morning, wash your face and hope that everything will work out for the best. Mostly, it does.

I've been trying to deal with a ton of strong and painful emotions, unresolved issues and an oddly busy workload. And that just seems like peanuts compared to a penguin.