Stability

I am grateful for the overall stability of life. Sure, there are ups and downs, abundant times and lean, but life's overall trajectory is a smooth curve. It reminds me of Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park", where one of the characters talks about fractal geometry. One type of image generated by fractal geometry that you may have seen is one where you can zoom in (or out) infinitely while the overall image remains the same. As Malcolm (the character) explains, the smallest pieces resemble the largest pieces.


(photo as it appears on http://laiyla.org/images/easyblog_images/78/fractal2.jpg)

Here is an example of fractal geometry. At first, it may appear chaotic, but upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that there is an infinitely repeating pattern. So, too, I see with life. Circumstances may change—I may move, change jobs, struggle with time or money—but all the same, I persist. Overall, my life is stable.

So thank you, stability, for giving me the courage to face those difficult times, knowing that I'll make it through. Thank you, Michael Crichton, for writing "Jurassic Park", which both turned into an amazing movie and introduced me to some fascinating ideas like fractal geometry. And thank you, fractal geometry, for being weird and beautiful. Maybe someday I'll understand the mathematics that lie behind you.