A Trip Around the Sun

I have just been congratulated for completing another trip around the sun.  I am fortunate.  Yet, I am also aware that I live in the fast lane.  You see, this vehicle upon which I travel not only is remarkable; it’s fast.  Kepler pointed out that Spaceship Earth and the other planets travel in elliptical orbits.  Earth’s average distance from the sun is some 93 million miles.  Of course, we all know it takes 365 days for one trip.  Put it all together and we are traveling at 66,661 mph—life in the fast lane.

On my walk this morning, a trail through the piney woods, I am again reminded of the diversity and complexity of life on this third planet from the sun.  I have to be careful not to slow down too much or often to admire a Downy Woodpecker or Summer Tanager.  It slows my heart rate and defeats the exercise benefit of the “walk”.  Yet, I do pause and am rewarded.  On other days and other trails I cross paths with deer or rabbits and even snakes.

So, I begin another trip around the sun and continue my walks on the flight deck of Spaceship Earth.