The sun is shining. Robins are digging for worms in my front
yard. It’s Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers. The temp will hit the 60s today.
It must be Spring. Finally.
After a winter that broke records for cold and snow, Spring
is more welcome than ever. I can wash my parka and put it away until November.
Right?
Wrong. The blizzard in the Dakotas will hit Michigan by the
end of the week.
One of the best things about living in the Midwest is the
change of seasons. We grouse about the cold and snow and about the time we’ve
totally had it with winter, spring comes. After the heat and humidity of summer
drain all our energy, the cool days of autumn tease us.
After the extremes of cold this winter, can we expect a
cooler summer? Not according to those in the know. We’ll have extreme heat.
Climate changes are affecting everyone around the world. Besides devastating
lives, droughts and floods determine food availability and prices.
What does all this mean for our planet?
Writers of dystopian fiction imagine a desolate world that
mankind destroyed. In other science fiction stories, writers explain why we ramped up space
exploration—to find a “new” Earth. Think about the messages in Blade Runner, Elysium, The Hunger Games,
The Matrix. We destroyed our world—not some alien invaders.
When I started this post, I just wanted to celebrate that
Spring had finally come to Michigan. But look where that happy thought took me.
It’s often the same when I start a new story. Since I don’t outline or plot, I
never know where my imagination will take the story. I always know the
beginning of the story and the end. Getting from the
beginning to the end is an adventure for me as well as the characters.
Will science fiction come true? Maybe not in our lifetime. I
hope we can figure out what we need to do to prevent a global catastrophe.
Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy the warmth of this beautiful Spring day.
