I am not a huge science junkie.  Movie enthusiast? Yes.  Fantasy nerd? Definitely.  Reading fanatic? You better believe it.  But when it comes to electrons, protons, and the intricacies of our universe I have never been too captivated.  It is not that I haven't been compelled to understand how things work; generally I like to be in the know.  It us just when it gets to the seemingly esoteric subjects like the time/space continuum and quantum physics that I feel I am getting shoved head first into the deep end. 

However, lucky for me I have found a reason to voluntarily take the plunge into the heady waters of science.  I think I am even managing to tread water.  This change in opinion came in the form of a book: A Short History Of Nearly Everything.  I have had Bill Bryson's masterpiece sitting unread in my collection for a few years now; too intimidated by the title, I neglectfully let the dust settle a bit before I convinced myself it was time to educate myself.  Naively, I believed it would be more a chore than entertainment.  Guess what?  Science is super exciting. I mean it.  There are still more than a smattering of topics that I skim over because I don't really grasp the concept, but for the most part, all of it is fascinating.  How we as a human race have figured out the history of our universe is quite a journey of discoveries.

As an inhabitant of this planet, it is beneficial to at the very least have a small understanding of how dually powerful and fragile this world is.  I am a ski racer, not a philosopher, but every once in a while I tend to ruminate on subjects of the existential variety.  Here I am, sitting on a plane en route to Santiago so that I can go train in hopes to achieve my dreams of athletic success!  Reading this book is not like reading a text book or taking an introduction to physics or chemistry; it makes me think about the astounding amount of pieces that make up everything- me, you, the computer I am writing this on, the computer you are reading this on, namely everything.  When you get to the smallest known level, I am just a big ball of non-living atoms.  Billions upon billions upon trillions of atoms, more than my mind can imagine, make up the breathing, talking, feeling being that is me.

An atom is one ten-millionth of a millimeter.  To help his readers comprehend how small an atom, Bill Bryson included this analogy in his book to help put it in perspective, "one atom is to the width of a millimeter line as the thickness of a sheet of paper is to the height of the Empire State building."  Now folks I think we can all agree that is staggeringly small. 

All day long making turn after turn I command these teeny, tiny particles to do my bidding.  Solitarily they seem inconsequential, but as a whole, very literally, they are everything. Please excuse my affinity for hyperbole, but I think that this is appropriate: that is CRAZINESS! 

I had a very thought-provoking conversation with a dear friend recently about my skiing career and the concept of desire.  We both know that I have the tools, talent, and work ethic to "get there."  He reminded me that it's all just a matter of flipping that intangible switch, the difference between believing you have what it takes and doing what it takes.  This change in attitude is something I have always struggled with because I consider myself extremely confident, yet when it comes to actualizing it, I tend to balk.  My newfound interest in science notwithstanding, I will continue to toil away and work towards that elusive switch.  When you get down to it, everything we do is frustratingly simple.  With all the information I am amassing maybe I will unlock the key to this atom nonsense and consequently discover my own potential...

I'll keep you posted.

For now,

Kaylin