I was laying on my back, talking to my best friend. The towel beneath me had grown wet with the chlorine and sweaty water from our neighboorhood pool, so I was resting my hands on the warmth of the tennis courts. While the smooth concrete was hard, it was oddly soothing.
We were talking about planets, and we ended up on the subject of the whole universe. My friend said, “If you think about it, the whole universe is huge. In the big scheme of things, we are insignificant.” I thought about this for a moment. I then propped my self up on my elbow, looked at her, and then lay down again. I watched the clouds.
“Actually, no,” I said, watching the gentle breeze slowly push the clouds away. “We are not insignificant. Every move we make affects something. Just by pushing this leaf-” I flicked a little leaf from the surface of the court. It moved an inch. “-I have changed my whole future.”
“How so?” she asked skeptically.
“I’ve changed my thoughts. I’ve changed your thoughts. Which have changed how we both act. Which have changed how we react to things, what we do,” I said, still watching the clouds wisp across the sky. “This whole grand scheme of things includes us. We are part of the ‘grand scheme’ of things. Therefore, everything we do makes and impact.”
We’re silent. Then, she says, “but the universe is huge. We can’t be impacting what is happening light years away. We’re not impacting the universe by flicking a leaf.” She flicks a leaf at me and grins.
“You talk about the universe like it’s something else. We are in the universe. Those clouds, this tennis court, us, are the universe.” I flick another leaf. “That leaf is the universe!”
“Wow.” We sit in silence, just contemplating. We sit in silence until the last threads of pale-white universe are gone from the sky.
We were talking about planets, and we ended up on the subject of the whole universe. My friend said, “If you think about it, the whole universe is huge. In the big scheme of things, we are insignificant.” I thought about this for a moment. I then propped my self up on my elbow, looked at her, and then lay down again. I watched the clouds.
“Actually, no,” I said, watching the gentle breeze slowly push the clouds away. “We are not insignificant. Every move we make affects something. Just by pushing this leaf-” I flicked a little leaf from the surface of the court. It moved an inch. “-I have changed my whole future.”
“How so?” she asked skeptically.
“I’ve changed my thoughts. I’ve changed your thoughts. Which have changed how we both act. Which have changed how we react to things, what we do,” I said, still watching the clouds wisp across the sky. “This whole grand scheme of things includes us. We are part of the ‘grand scheme’ of things. Therefore, everything we do makes and impact.”
We’re silent. Then, she says, “but the universe is huge. We can’t be impacting what is happening light years away. We’re not impacting the universe by flicking a leaf.” She flicks a leaf at me and grins.
“You talk about the universe like it’s something else. We are in the universe. Those clouds, this tennis court, us, are the universe.” I flick another leaf. “That leaf is the universe!”
“Wow.” We sit in silence, just contemplating. We sit in silence until the last threads of pale-white universe are gone from the sky.
Comments
Log in or register to post comments.