My son was home for Spring Break , a busy time as we were celebrating his 21st Birthday, a week early. He is now a physics major and has tried to explain some of what he is learning to me. He was talking about atoms and all the minute pieces of the universe that exist, so that if I touch a wall I am not actually touching anything. The wall seems solid to my touch because the forces of electrical energy keep all the atoms and electrons in place. In fact the forces between my hand and the wall push back, giving this illusion of solidity. We know that the reality of the atom ,is a vast space between the nucleus and the electrons. We experience the effects of these forces.
This made me think of an example of experiencing the effect of forces beyond our control. My Mum at 82 was thought to be a relative by a woman who saw her walking along the street. Apparently my mother looks very Danish, so she conferred among her sisters and discovered that her father's, father , my Great great Grandpa was in fact Danish. One of the dishes I loved that my Mum made was, cod in parsley sauce served with mashed potatoes and peas, the fish is cooked in milk, I know this is a very Nordic way to cook fish and wondered if this family dish came originally from Denmark. So even though consciously no one realized we had Danish genes, we experienced eating a meal directly related to that heritage.
Below is a large drawing that I am currently working on, it is the central panel.
