Alaska Is...

       Alaska is…
         Melting our assumption,
         Warming our hearts,
                  &
         Enlightening our minds

Final Reflections

As I abruptly reflect I am instantly drawn to our boat trip in Seward.  At this point in the trip comfort levels had risen—we were all a bit more emotionally stable.  Finally—our hierarchy of needs allowed some academic/scientific information to se in.  As we cruised through the then most beautiful place I had ever seen—it was truly invigorating to be immersed in the very environment we were learning about—we were thousands of miles from the textbooks where it. During the mini-sesions on the boat I learned about fjords, estuaries, marine mammals, and on… But the one concept that nearly spun my head around was that of an ‘ecosystem.’  Our instructor reinforced this definition as how the interplay between elements creates form and function—how do humans affect the plants, affect the air, water, animals, and back.  On the boat, images of the natural world—the sea, the sea lions, glaciers, and plankton—linking altering, moving, and dancing with one another floated through my mind. 
         In retrospect, dependence, and interplay were illuminated in the form and function of the AGLP participants, leaders, and drivers.  Our own ecosystem grew—we depended intensely on each other’s energy, moods, and good intentions (we linked, alternated, moved, and danced with one another).  Each of us were connected in a deep and powerful way—all equally integral in our own unique ways. 
         I will always be grateful to have lived science—but I know I will never be able to express the beauty of being a part of a family.