Mass, Space, and Matter

Last week, someone sent me this meme on facebook:

It was a particularly timely meme, because just the day before I had experienced space and mass first-hand.

Usually, when faced with a big space and mass experience, I make a list.   

This was my list.  I put all this stuff in the van, plus extra boxes.

That red thing is the hand truck: very useful for the task ahead.

 

Then I drove the van to meet my son in Collegetown.  I drove as if driving a rocket through space, because I had to get back in just a few hours for Younger Daughter's theater class.

We packed this mass into the van. 

True to his Boy Scout training, he was really prepared when I got there – all boxes packed, access to vacuum cleaner procured, check-out procedure pre-approved. 

We also met up with Older Daughter who had asked for moving boxes.  It turned out she only wanted one box, but she had several already packed for us to take home.  She came home on her own a few days later, with an additional mass of stuff.

Now they are home with their mass of stuff spread out in their space.  It is a mystery to me how their stuff fit in their dorm rooms, which are a lot smaller than their bedrooms at home.   

But forget tidying up the mass in the space.  Older Daughter has thrown herself wholeheartedly into her summer job, and Son has thrown himself halfheartedly into finding a summer job.  (He has an interview on Wednesday, so I’m a-prayin’ on that.)   They are home, and that’s what matters.