Early Writings of Evan Bailyn

Closely Inspecting Crystals Of Sand On The Beach

Posted by Evan Bailyn on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 comments

There is a micro-world to every object, which we seldom notice in the course of our efficient lives. If you look closely at the immediate surroundings of a blade of grass in a field, for instance, you will find a lot more than just other grass: a tiny white mineral deposit, a yellow thread that has peeled off a nearby aging stalk, an industrious ant scaling a three-leaf clover. It is kind of interesting to think that this blade of grass’ entire existence has been ignored by every other person on Earth except for you.

I don’t choose grass as an example of a micro-world because it is technically “alive”; I choose grass because it is so commonly overlooked, and because it, like every other object on earth, has a unique existence.

Personally, I like inspecting the micro-world of crystals of sand. I first discovered it one day when I was lying on my stomach at the beach, tanning my back. Instead of closing my eyes, I put my chin on a towel, and just stared at the sand from about an inch away. The grains on the surface flitted about quickly with every breath of wind, while some crystals remained still in their delicate, variegated heaps. The sun reflected off the bits of quartz, giving the otherwise dry-looking composition a sparkle. I was captivated for about five minutes by the dynamism of the scene; then, of course, I went back to listening to the radio and thinking about other things. But it provided me with a brief, unexpected tinge of interest.

Evan Bailyn is a serial entrepreneur, search engine and social media expert, celebrated author and child advocate. His company, First Page Sage, is a leader in search engine optimization and social media marketing - vastly increasing business for its clients through high SEO rankings, targeted Facebook advertising and viral videos. Evan is also the founder of the Evan Bailyn Foundation, a foundation dedicated to teaching emotional awareness to children and adults.