Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Starry Sky

Did you know?:
  • the age of the universe = 14 billion years
  • the size of the universe = 3 x 1023 miles
  • the number of galaxies in the universe =
    200 to 500 billion
  • the number of stars in each galaxy =
    200 to 500 billion
  • average size of a star = 1-2 million miles
  • the human life span / the age of the universe =
    5 x 10-9
  • the human scale / the scale of the universe =
    4 x 10-27
Sometimes this information makes me feel completely insignificant, simply dust in the wind. But just when I feel small enough to wink out ...
  • my daughter gives me an unexpected hug
  • I get home exhausted from work and find a forgotten container of delicious left-overs in the fridge
  • my knees don't ache after a long day at work
  • I stumble across a T.V. program that makes me laugh deeply
  • a friend invites me out for coffee
  • I catch all of the stoplights on the way home
... and then ... and then I can feel just big enough.