A WANDERING MIND ON A COOL NIGHT

Now that summer’s prolonged and unpalatable humidity has finally relented, I’ve taken to sitting out on my front porch and relaxing in the cool night air. The nighttime tranquility in my trailer park never ceases to amaze considering that I live in quite an active and bustling part of town during the day.

Last night during my state of serenity, I began gazing skyward, where I noticed only one visible star. I blame clouds and an abundance of urban lighting for my limited stellar view. Since that lone star was due north, I deduced that it must be the North Star.

My mind’s wheels began turning. ‘How far is the North Star from Earth?’, I wondered. It occurred to me that my inquiry could easily be resolved with my handy, dandy smartphone. I spoke into it, and it responded with a soothing female voice, "the North Star or Polaris is approximately 434 light years from Earth”.

I let that information sink in for a moment. It has taken nearly 434 years for that twinkling stellar light to travel from the North Star to my gazing eyeballs. Utilizing my smartphone again, I computed that the light observed from the North Star was generated in 1582, which I further learned from my amazing hand-held device that William Shakespeare was then alive as a teenager.

It was then that I concluded that aided with some handy technology, the mind can indeed wander across the space-time continuum on a cool, peaceful night on one's front porch...if one is receptive.