In my hand I hold the Universe: all the suns, moons, planets, and stars beyond the Milky Way. In my hand I hold Earth's snow capped mountains, glowing pink in the morning sun; lush evergreen forests, dotted with orange and red maples; wind swept swirls of desert sands, beneath cloudless blue skies. In my hand I hold blue green seas, dolphins, whales and starfish; sailboats, gliding across sun sparkled ripples of water, and gulls circling fishermen hauling in bountiful catches in their nets. In my hand I hold the excited giggles of babies taking their first steps; the tears of friends who've lost a loved one; stories of daring, courage, compassion, and enduring love. In my hand I hold the art, music and dance of the ages. In my hand I hold knowledge, truth, and lies; the best punchlines and one-liners ever spoken. In my hand I hold all that came before me, and dreams of what may come. In my hand I hold my phone. It's not just a smartphone...it's bloody brilliant!
I was staring at it - my great oracle - in the palm of my hand. With a gentle sweep of my finger, and a soft tap, the world - the Universe - is revealed. I'm no wizard, but that's pretty magical!
The latest discoveries in astrophysics, and cancer treatment - from the vastness of the great beyond, to nano particles - are all held in the palm of my hand. I just read, that analysis of fossils found in Nanjing, China show that flowering plants existed in the Early Jurassic period, 174 million years ago. That's 50 million years earlier than thought. Scrolling further, I discover that this New Year's Eve, Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft is going to reach Ultima Thule, also known as, 2014 MU69, a part of the Kuiper Belt, some 6.5 Billion (with a B) kilometres away. Remote communications takes 6 hours each way, so sometime on New Year's Day, we may get the first pictures...on our phones, in the palm of our hand.
Truthfully, as amazing as these events are, they appear on our phones alongside friends' photos of what everyone brought to last night's potluck dinner, hilarious memes, and cat videos. I can't help but think that back in Columbus' day, news of his arrival in the New World, eventually made it to Spain, where it was greeted with marvel, which gave way to the mundane. "Did you hear about the voyage?" "Yes, quite something, and isn't that a rainstorm gathering on the horizon? Better bring the laundry in."
From my smartphone, time and space are fluid. It seems as if it is always "tomorrow" in Australia. Vancouver is three hours behind Toronto. So, I can have a simultaneous conversation on Facebook with my sister in Melbourne, and friends on Canada's Westcoast, and other friends in the UK, and Europe, and "be" in five time zones, and two different days at once. Add in, a live feed from a Nasa Mars landing, and the emotional timewarp of listening to Black Magic Woman, Brown Eyed Girl, or Malo Suavecito playing in the background, and you'll get what I mean about the fluidity of time and space! It's nothing new (except for the Mars landing). Quite ordinary, really. I just have an almost childlike fascination with it.
Just this morning, while sipping my coffee and streaming through my Facebook feed on my phone, I read a story about the SS Warrimoo's history-making voyage from Vancouver to Australia. On New Year's Eve, 1899 Captain John DS Phillips learned that the ship was within a few miles of the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line. He changed course, and the engine speed, so that by Midnight, the Warrimoo hovered over the two geographic lines. The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere, where it was Summer. The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere, and Winter. You could stand in the bow, where it was January 1st, 1900, then, walk to the aft, where it was still December 31st, 1899. The ship made history for being in two different days, two different months, two different seasons, two different years...and two different centuries, all at once!
Each day, my friends on the Westcoast of Canada, and in Michigan, share the most glorious sunrises, spectacular sunsets, breathtaking seascapes, flowers, deer, eagles, hummingbirds and lunar images. They lift my spirits, and start my day on a positive note. My heart sings...and sometimes aches for home.
My phone is held with a firm gentleness, like a hug. The people I love and care for are there, on Facebook, Messenger, in e-mails, texts, Instagram, even on the actual phone! Almost every day, I laugh so hard, I can hardly type. the phone just jiggles in my hand. When something touches my heart, I've noticed myself bring the phone close to my heart. This is weird...when I blush, I actually turn the phone over, face down. Please tell me, I'm not alone!
Far from distancing us from one another, technology brings us closer. I have reconnected with old friends, and made new friends all through the on-line world. We share selfies, and family photos of how we spent our weekend, or our vacation. I've watched children and grandchildren evolving. I've shared in weddings, birthdays and celebrations of life. I've watched gardens being planted, nurtured, harvested, then, enjoyed photographs of jams and preserves proudly displayed in glass jars along kitchen counters.
Since so many of my friends are creatives, everything from photography, to graphic novel illustrations, to paintings, to jewelry design, textile designs, music, song and dance, is shared all day, every day. Even my own clothing designs are modelled. Many of us are writers, some with published books in real bookstores. We talk politics, religion, health and mental health, exchange vegetarian recipes, and information about the best places in Toronto for BBQ ribs. And we laugh a lot! Lives are lived. All, in the palm of my hand. It's great to be alive!
What would William Blake have thought of it all?
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour.
-William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Wow, man!
The latest discoveries in astrophysics, and cancer treatment - from the vastness of the great beyond, to nano particles - are all held in the palm of my hand. I just read, that analysis of fossils found in Nanjing, China show that flowering plants existed in the Early Jurassic period, 174 million years ago. That's 50 million years earlier than thought. Scrolling further, I discover that this New Year's Eve, Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft is going to reach Ultima Thule, also known as, 2014 MU69, a part of the Kuiper Belt, some 6.5 Billion (with a B) kilometres away. Remote communications takes 6 hours each way, so sometime on New Year's Day, we may get the first pictures...on our phones, in the palm of our hand.
Just this morning, while sipping my coffee and streaming through my Facebook feed on my phone, I read a story about the SS Warrimoo's history-making voyage from Vancouver to Australia. On New Year's Eve, 1899 Captain John DS Phillips learned that the ship was within a few miles of the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line. He changed course, and the engine speed, so that by Midnight, the Warrimoo hovered over the two geographic lines. The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere, where it was Summer. The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere, and Winter. You could stand in the bow, where it was January 1st, 1900, then, walk to the aft, where it was still December 31st, 1899. The ship made history for being in two different days, two different months, two different seasons, two different years...and two different centuries, all at once!
My phone is more than a piece of technology. It's the conduit of a soul connection between me and the world, the world and me. My on-line friendships are very real. I help administer an on-line widows' group of more than 8-thousand widows. The pain, anguish and anxiety are real. The bonds of sisterhood are real, and each one of us is grateful to be able to connect anytime of the day or night, with other women who, "just know". When I am comforting someone, I imagine her sitting in my kitchen, a friend just needing someone to talk to, someone to listen with an open heart. Sending good energy out, and getting good energy back, is healing. It's good for the soul.
My phone is held with a firm gentleness, like a hug. The people I love and care for are there, on Facebook, Messenger, in e-mails, texts, Instagram, even on the actual phone! Almost every day, I laugh so hard, I can hardly type. the phone just jiggles in my hand. When something touches my heart, I've noticed myself bring the phone close to my heart. This is weird...when I blush, I actually turn the phone over, face down. Please tell me, I'm not alone!
Since so many of my friends are creatives, everything from photography, to graphic novel illustrations, to paintings, to jewelry design, textile designs, music, song and dance, is shared all day, every day. Even my own clothing designs are modelled. Many of us are writers, some with published books in real bookstores. We talk politics, religion, health and mental health, exchange vegetarian recipes, and information about the best places in Toronto for BBQ ribs. And we laugh a lot! Lives are lived. All, in the palm of my hand. It's great to be alive!
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour.
-William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Wow, man!
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