This Miraculous Earth

The origin of everything we have comes from the earth -- the coffee in your cup, the cup itself, your cellphone, the shoes on your feet and, of course, your food.

If the earth was an apple, the environment we live in, including the earth and the atmosphere above, would be thinner than the skin of the apple. And in that thin skin of earth we grow, harvest, pack and transport food for 7 billion hungry people.

We object sometimes if the price of a lettuce increases, say from $1 to $1.10 per head, and yet the cost is truly amazing considering everything that goes into acquiring that single head of lettuce.

Consider the labor and other resources (all originating in the earth) necessary to prepare the field, plant the seed and keep it weed free. Think about the sunlight, oxygen and water that nurture that head of lettuce as it grows. Think about all that goes into harvesting, packing, cooling, transporting, and then unpacking that head of lettuce, placing it on a store shelf, keeping it cool and then passing it through the checker after you put it in your cart.

We interact with the earth in ways both mundane and profound every day. The journey of a simple head of lettuce from humble origins through multiple interactions all the way to your table happens for just $1.10. It’s almost a miracle.