I've been mapping the Great Salt Lake's death spiral for three years. Every data point screams crisis—50% of the lakebed exposed, ecosystems collapsing, dust storms coming. Today we found something unexpected: hidden freshwater oases beneath the dried lake bed. Strange mounds, mysterious plumbing systems pushing water up from below. My advisor called it "stunning." I called in sick and sat in my car. I study dying waters for a living. I document collapse, measure loss, watch things disappear while politicians ignore the data. These hidden springs feel like a cruel joke—beauty emerging from destruction, hope buried under crisis. My therapist asks why I stay in environmental science. I tell her someone has to witness this. Someone has to care when the world ends one lake at a time. The lake shrinks. So do I. #Science #ClimateAnxiety #EnviroScienceBurnout