On the Subject of Frogs

I’m getting angry at myself for picking up my laptop and typing right now— I should be asleep with Ez, getting ready for tomorrow, finally taking a break..but instead I need to announce my dissatisfaction with Twitter.

What a horrible method of communication! How is one supposed to truly say what’s on their mind with such limitations…not enough words, not enough time on someone’s feed for anyone to read it and respond before they’ve moved on to the next frame of mental dribble from someone else. You end up with a collection of one-liners about tv shows or what some celebrity wore on the red carpet— and who really cares?

What started this all was a stream of consciousness at bedtime…it’s raining here right now— the soothing sound of raindrops pelting our roof and window— perfect for falling asleep to. I thought of how it’s almost always wet here— to the point that we’ve completely adapted to this high level of humidity— used to our carpets and pillowcases being slightly damp at all times…how things rot so easily— even currently living things like trees and grass…biomass….

I wondered if I would start to rot like a tree if I were left out in the rain all day. Maybe it would take longer...as I think human skin handles water better than tree bark. I asked Ez if he thought people were more amphibious than trees…this beautiful word caught in my head like a fly trapped in a spider’s web…a gorgeous crowd of vowels with a few consonants thrown in for fun…Ez answered- of course, people are more amphibious than trees- we’re biologically designed to go back and forth between land and water— more so than a tree, which, while hardy, is fixed on land and is merely subject to the elements— not going out and choosing for themselves where they should be. He then said that “amphibious”— lovely a word as it is- does not really apply to humans as we are not designed to fully LIVE in both water and land. The word of course applies to frogs and salamanders— true amphibians. 

We then turned out the light and I started to feel sad— thinking about how the world’s actual amphibians are dying…extinction at an alarming rate- and no one has really figured out what’s going on or how to stop it…brightly-colored mucous bodies...all gone. I told Ez about it— this was the first he’s heard of it— even though it’s been going on for at least two decades now….I don’t blame him for it…or anyone else who doesn’t know it’s an issue. People have lives, jobs, kids…who has time to sit around thinking about the state of the world’s frogs? Unless of course they are some sort of frog specialist? I can’t even feel righteous because I have a little extra time to stare out windows and ponder these things— because really, my sadness over dead amphibians is just an emotion…a fleeting thought that goes right out the window…similar to a Twitter feed…just something that happens….not really helpful. Certainly not saving anything or any frogs. And in the grand scheme, it all qualifies as 'mental dribble'...none of it more important or less than the next. Hm.

But I would have never been able to say this all on Twitter. And for that, Twitter can go eat a bowl of...something. Hopefully the rain will calm me down... I'll be angry tonight and back on it first thing in the morning.