Quarks

What I learned

Just yesterday I learned about quarks at a memorial honoring the passing of a great man. A scientist spoke of his friendship with the deceased and threw in the word quark. What’s that I wondered. I googled the word when I got home and discovered quarks are subatomic particles that make up protons and neutrons. They come in different. flavors – the word physicists came up with to separate the different kinds of quarks. I still know precious little about them with the exception the universe may end in 10 billion years because of them. AND, of course, wherever you have quarks, you have antiquarks.

The point really isn't that I now know of the existence of quarks; albeit without any immediate plans to use this knowledge.  It's simply I learned something new. Now that I know about them, I suppose I can always use this as an ice-breaker - How 'bout them quarks!

Broken Cup

 

    There's a fine china tea cup in my cabinet that I almost never use. It was a busy week and my sink is overflowing with dirty dishes. I have no cups left. I have no clean glasses. In fact, I have nothing to drink from unless I want to drink from a bowl which I am considering. I have little choice than to use this delicate piece of china I have taken great measures to protect. I reach up to the high shelf where it has been tucked away for years and notice my resistance. I am afraid to retrieve this beautiful cup for fear of breaking it.
     I stop to think for a moment about how strange it is to have this cup sitting in my cabinet unused, unseen and unappreciated. I have been afraid to break something important to me. I thought some more and concluded that it was ok to risk breaking the cup. In fact, what is life really without risking a few broken cups? In that moment, I threw caution to the wind and retrieved the cup. 
     Did I break the cup? Did I drink from the cup? I mean, what if I broke the cup? Would I have to crawl under the covers and refuse to come out? Ahhh, but what if the cup didn't break?