Five Golden Rings (2)

"...and sweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild; then silent night
With this her solemn bird and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heaven, her starry train..."
-From Paradise Lost, by John Milton

This week I tossed book after book aside: nothing was holding my attention. Nothing on earth was making me forget I was poorly.
At last I reached for Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything.' I have had the book for more than a year but the time never seemed right. I hauled the door stopper of a book to bed with me and delved in.
It opens in this way:

"Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn't easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realise."

It is very fine indeed to read books that make one feel small and humble. The dull ache in my face might have been from a sinus problem but quite likely it came from the jaw-dropping facts on every page, about our world.