In West Virginia

Today was the first full day of my meeting in WV. The weather here is warmer than usual. But the scenery is awesome. The leaves along the campus are fantastic. I really miss the deciduous trees that put on such a show of color. Where I live, the few trees that turn color do so in November and December but there isn't the diversity of deciduous trees that there is here.

I listened to some great talks on global climate change today. The facts are overwhelming that the planet is in real trouble from carbon dioxide emissions. The rise in sea surface temperature is already causing problems and the bad news is that even if everything is rectified immediately, we won't see a response for at least 50-75 years. Someone asked the speakers how they were able to get up in the morning and continue to go forward--what self-help group did they belong to? I couldn't help but smile and think that there are some things that I can change and there are others that I just have to let go. Sure, I can change what I do as an individual to conserve and be environmentally aware, and I can work at the job that I do to make others aware and provide scientific data, but in the long run, I can't change the world. To think of that is too overwhelming. I just keep thinking of Step One and the Serenity Prayer. And do my part to change the things that I can.