Looking down the St. Lawrence towards Montreal

Today was a long, but beautiful day.  I think rich blue skies are sort of a drug for me.  I can’t help but be happy when I see the sun shining.  And today, as I made my way over the bridge into Quebec, my mood was in stark contrast to what it had been 48 hours earlier.  Funny how a little blue sky can do that!  I wanted to get in some good distance today and my legs felt really good.  The last 15 k included crossing the St. Lawrence and running its shores on the north side towards Montreal.  It was a beautiful mix of paths and communities that hugged the river.  For me personally, it was a great way to celebrate Earth Day.

Crossing the bridge into Quebec!

Science has told us that the universe is expanding.  It always has and it always will.  But I heard an interview a couple of years ago on Quirks and Quarks, hosted by Bob McDonald that attempted to have the listener think about the universe in reverse – going back in time.  If we go back in time, then the universe gets smaller and smaller… each day, each year, each century.  What’s hard to wrap your head around is the fact that when this explosion happened – the Big Bang as we call it, it was ever so small.  Too small to describe.  But for arguments sake, let’s say that it was smaller than the tip of a pen.   Incredible!  At least for me, my mind has an extremely difficult time comprehending the Earth resulting in something smaller than the tip of a pen, let alone the whole universe.  It’s amazing!  I think there are several thoughts that come to mind for me, but one that was asked in the interview was why there was an explosion in the first place.  Science doesn’t have an answer for that – it can’t explain the why.  And the mystery in that intrigues me.  I will give credit to the author when I find out from my friend who it is, but a quote was shared with me a couple of years ago that says… “Science is but a small island in a vast ocean of mystery”.  I love finding out how different things in our world work.  But I also love the mystery that comes with it – not knowing the why gives us the capacity to interpret, to find meaning and reason.  Today we celebrate the Earth and all the amazing life that exists within it, including ourselves.  And I also celebrate the mystery that comes with it!

Enjoying the river…