Pack Creek Ranch, San Juan County, Utah
Spring is in the air – you can hear the faint sound of the spear song of the marching grass (credit poet e e cummings) and see the first rising of the invincible troops of dandelions.
WHO KNOWS
While shopping in the local supermarket, a child passed me pushing a cart filled with groceries. Her mother walked behind, cradling a newborn in a sling. In the place in the cart usually reserved for little kids was a large doll.
I asked the little girl, “Is that your baby?”
She sharply replied, “No, stupid. that’s a doll.”
And pointing to the infant in her mother’s arms, she declared – “That’s a baby.”
Her embarrassed mother apologized.
“So sorry. Lucy is seven and thinks she knows everything.”
“Really,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to meet someone who knows everything.” And I turned on the machine gun of my mind, aimed it at the little girl, and fired.
“Tell me Lucy, how long does it take light of the sun to reach the earth?”
Lucy stared at me in silent dismay – WHAT?
I went on.
“How many stars can be seen on a clear night by the human eye?”
WHAT?
“How many earth-size planets orbiting sun-like stars are there in the Milky way?”
“How much of the universe is known?”
“What is the nature of dark matter – and the nature of dark energy?”
“Are we alone in the universe?”
“Is the universe still expanding?”
Lucy stared at me – in wide-eyed silence.
“Would you like to know the answers?”
Lucy nodded.
“It takes the light of the sun 8 minutes to reach the earth.
You can only see 8 to 10 thousand stars on a clear night.
It is estimated that there are 10 billion earth-like planets orbiting the Sun-like stars in the Milky Way.
Only 95% of the universe is known.
We guess that we are not alone in the Universe.
Nobody knows what dark matter or dark energy is.
And, yes, we think the universe is still expanding.
But who knows these things for sure – not even you, Lucy.
It’s all a great mystery.”
Not to be outsmarted, the little girl finally spoke:
Grinning, “I know,” she said.
And she pushed her grocery cart on past me.
Her mother whispered as she walked by:
“I can’t wait to hear Lucy explain the universe to her father.”