crawling through to the past

If you know how to look, our body becomes a time capsule that, when opened, tells of critical moments in the history of our planet and of a distant past in oceans, streams and forests.  Changes in the ancient atmosphere are reflected in the molecules that allow our cells to make bodies.  The environment of ancient streams shaped the basic anatomy of our limbs.  Our color vision and sense of smell has been molded by life in ancient forests and plains.  -Neil Shubin

For all the knowledge he compiled, Pliny concluded that -among all things, this alone is certain:  that nothing is certain, and that there is nothing more proud or more wretched than man.

My wife and I were driving home the other day.  I was driving through a green light at an intersection when a woman on foot suddenly appeared.  She was running. fast running. and she stomped down her foot about a foot from the car.  I looked at her. She looked at me.  There was anger in her face.

I said to my wife -this girl wishes to get hurt.  Why is she testing herself against the car?  This is the same girl I saw the other day standing in the middle of the street in the middle of the intersection on a four lane street looking at me as I came up on a green light.  She put her hands out with her arms and fingers spread in a classic gesture and gave me the whadda gonna do run me over?

Then she turned away and walked directly in front of cars coming the other way.  Breaks squealed horns honked.  I had, thank god, just stopped in the middle of the intersection.  Cars honked at me people screamed at each other. But no one got hurt.  My wife said she is not testing herself against the car.  She is testing herself against you.  

But I know her now.  Now I will keep my eyes open for her.  She will not get to test me again.