Viewless essence, thin and bare,

Well nigh melted into air,

Still with fondness hovering near

The earthly form thou once didst wear,

--From "Death Chant" by Sir Walter Scott

What is more thin, bare, and well nigh melted into air than time? Although time may be a vast sea stretching endlessly, we live on the razor's edge of now, viewing the indelible past carved behind us, planning for the limitless expanse beyond even as we hurtle into each fleeting moment. Although Styx complained about having too much time on one's hands, and the ultimate supply of the stuff is endless, our individual mortal allotment can melt into the air at any moment.

"As we shall see, the concept of time has no meaning before the beginning of the universe." -- Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time.

My question would be: Why not? Perhaps the answer would be that before the beginning of the universe there wouldn't have been anyone to track time or anything for which time was relevant. (Can you make that statement? I mean, the use of the word "before" infers time. On the other hand, the statement wasn't that there was no time, just that the concept had no meaning. I admit that I don't know. However, if matter is eternal, which is inferred by the statement that matter can neither be created nor destroyed - although it can be rearranged - See Law of Conservation of Mass - wouldn't time be eternal as well?(otherwise everything would happen at once, right?)). I can never wrap my head around these things in a way that provides a satisfactory answer, but I remain intrigued by the quest for answers and A Brief History of Time condescends sufficiently for me to better grasp the concepts.

I appreciated another statement from the book: "As far as we are concerned, events before the big bang can have no consequences, so they should not form part of a scientific model of the universe." Well, except for the fact that those events resulted in the big bang. I get it we don't know and we can't worry about it because we really don't even fully understand the big bang; it's a working theory. Nevertheless, one has to wonder.

Time certainly can't be captured in a bottle - sorry, Jim Croce (although that would make for a great short story that I must explore) - and Huey Lewis knew good and well that we've been unable to go back in time. Which has kept Cyndi Lauper waiting, time after time. Finally, being aware of Pink Floyd's lyrics on the subject, and without taking anything away from the Byrds or Ecclesiastes 3, I think Chicago said it best: "Does anybody really know what time it is?"

Scripture does seem to support the idea that time is not the same for everyone. See, e.g., 2 Peter 3:8 and D&C 130:4-5. Alma 40:8 puts it this way, "[A]ll is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men."

A nice discussion of time can be found here: "Time in Scripture and in Science: a Conciliatory Key" by J. Ward Moody.

Can you swim in space and time, or merely tread ether while the current drags you inexorably on?

Time is a tar baby of a subject. Possible responses to one clinging question pull the inquirer toward a hydra of additional issues - and mixed metaphors, it seems.

Let me break free of that tar baby and proclaim that I've completed the draft for submission of the sequel to Accidental Pirates. I'm calling it Accidental Wizard.

Pause for obligatory Accidental Pirates memes:

I'm sending Accidental Wizard to the publisher today. I have no idea how long it will take before they can get back to me on the intense tale of twins Chris and Kenny's adventure in a post-Merlin world where knights and blood mages struggle against the return of an old evil. Chris is thrust into the dangerous role of blood mage for the kingdom at a time of internal turmoil and attack by a new foe, and Kenny takes up the sword against a host of enemies.

Speaking of twins and adventure:

Do your young readers like twins in adventures involving myth and mystery? Dive into The Selkie and the Sea of Trash

If supernatural guardians wielding steel against ancient evil stirs your blood, warrior-up and grab this super deal: The Volcan Knights by Laurie Bowler.

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