I can not count the number of times that I have run into someone who it turned out we had something in common and then I said, "Small world". In the grand scheme of things, we do live in a small world. Scientists believe the universe is over 14 billion years old, and is over 90 billion lightyears wide.
A lightyear means that you would have to travel at the speed of light (670,616,541.83 MPH) for an entire year. Oh, and did I mention that the universe is expanding? Basically we have no way to actually know this information to an exact point. Our best astrophysicists believe there are billions of galaxies, with billions of stars. Each Star holds a solar system similar to our own, here in the Milky Way galaxy.
If we try to keep it all in perspective our planet is really small, thus the term "small world" makes sense. However, the idea of exploring this incredible planet we are on seems daunting because of how large it is. Even just to see all 50 of the states in this great union we live in is a monumental task, unless you travel for a living. This is also hard to fathom considering the 150 years ago, most people never went more than 30 miles from their place of birth.
Last year we road tripped. We covered 3,318 miles over 11 days, and went from Washington to Oregon, over to Idaho, down through Utah, and on into Arizona and the Grand Canyon. On our way back we swung through Montana so we could check it off the list. Six states in one trip, and we barely scratched the surface.
Life can feel this way all the time. Some things seen absolutely huge until we remember to keep it in perspective. I use to feel as though I had built a great future, after investing 18 years into a career. It was not until I walked away from that career that I realized it was only a small part of my life. My wife and kids are the big part of my life.
I desire to provide the best for my family. I want them to dream big, but I want them to value the little things in life too. We are on a rock traveling 20,000mph around our sun, which is circling the center of our galaxy, and the entire mass is moving through the cosmos. When I am long gone, I hope to have left a legacy through my children of loving people and enjoying everything we can out of God's great creation.
Take time today and consider the future. Perhaps view some of life's issues from the opposite perspective. "Cherish the little things, and some day you will realize they were the big things."
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