Dust That Dreams
Lent reminds us that we are dust… but astonishingly, dust that thinks, loves, and wonders why we exist.
Welcome to today’s reflection.
Today, we are contemplating our place in the universe, so maybe grab a cup of tea before delving into the incredible being that is you.
Lent is a good reminder of something both humbling and astonishing: we are dust… and yet somehow, dust that lives and thinks and loves.
For example, did you know your body is made up of around seven billion billion billion atoms?
That’s a seven followed by twenty-seven zeros. The numbers alone are dizzying, but it gets even more astonishing when you realise that many of those atoms are billions of years old. Some date back to the earliest days of the universe; others were forged inside long-dead stars. You are, quite literally, made of cosmic debris, and yet here you are, reading or listening to this, probably with a cup of tea.
Atoms are small. Really small. They combine to form molecules, which in turn form cells, which form tissues and organs. You are a living symphony of ancient particles that have been rearranging themselves for fourteen billion years.
No wonder I sometimes struggle to get up in the morning.
