Older, but no wiser

This little piece of wisdom from Chris Corrigan is too good to be left tucked away in a comment:

"A while ago I noticed that in cities, weather is really the only piece of wilderness left. Even trees and grass are contrived in cities. Each one is surrounded by intention. The only truly random piece of wild nature that city dwellers experience is the weather.

"Pity then, that it is summarily dismissed, rather than welcomed. I have since moved to a small island in the Pacific Ocean surrounded by wildness, but while I lived in the city, I would welcome every rain shower and windstorm with gratitude that my life was not yet completely cut off from nature".

Thanks, Chris.

Later edit:
There's one other element of wild-ness that reaches cities: birds. The air they inhabit knows no boundaries, belongs to no-one, is tamed by no-one. The sound of seagulls in London, evoking images of wind-blown waves, smells of salt air and seaweed, never fails to lift my spirits.