It was a grand celestial morning. God, though, felt a little out of sorts. These weekly staff meetings were ruining his life, and although this week’s session was over and his six overseers had gone back to their realms, he was already dreading the next, not really knowing why. Maybe one day, when he had the time, he would try to sort it all out.
He was walking back to his office from the conference room where the meeting had just taken place. He wanted to tidy up a few things before lunch, and then begin thinking about a problem that was going to require a lot of his attention sooner than later.
His rather spacious office was located on the second floor of the glass and steel building from where the affairs of the world were managed. The building was oriented from north to south, allowing the people working there to follow the morning light as it made its way across the sky and into the afternoon. On the first floor was a modest atrium made from structural glass and anyone inside could look out toward the surrounding pastoral landscape to the west and the dark and mysterious universe to the east. There was also comfortable sitting area for anyone who might have to wait a short time before conducting their business.
A glass staircase leading to the second floor ascended from its center. Behind and surrounding the atrium was a large room with fifty or sixty desks where God’s helpers worked on the day to day business of running the universe. Glassed in cubicles were positioned on the perimeter where the supervisors worked and tried to pull everything together.
God opened the door to his office and walked up to his slightly oversized and somewhat cluttered desk, then sat down in the same chair that he had sat in for as long as he could remember. Anyone else looking at it would think it ordinary, but he loved it and the comfortable and relaxed feeling that he had every time he eased himself into it. His office was located along the southern end of the building and if he looked up and across the room, or to his left, he could see through the glass walls the quiet green landscape that he never tired of. If he walked up to the window, he could look down on the little pastoral village of small houses with their immaculate lawns and gardens where his helpers who worked below lived with their families.
If he turned his head toward the glass behind him, he could gaze upon the universe with its nearby nebulae contrasting with the far distant sparks of light. At first glance, it seemed dark and foreboding, but he knew it to be full of life and joy.
He took a moment to admire the wall to his right that had recently been paneled with rare and exotic woods from distant parts of his realm. At the far end was a door leading to the Classics and Reference Library, its glass walls facing west and the verdant countryside beyond. A door closer to his desk opened into the Science and Mathematics Library, and through its glass, he could look east out into the dark cosmos. At the far end of this library was yet another door that he would occasionally use if he wanted to slip away quietly. These libraries contained the knowledge and lore of the universe and he spent many pleasant hours poring over books, manuscripts, and maps, all the while taking in the spectacular vistas.
This was his world, and after a few reflective moments, he began looking over the few remaining pieces of paper before him on the desk and one by one initialed them. He was alone; he could wrap his hands around a warm cup of dark rich coffee and relax and think while sorting through the stack of papers detailing the day to day business of the world.
Settling back in his chair, God turned around and gazed at the darkness behind him and tried to focus in on a very small flicker of light in the general direction where he knew it to be. It was tiny and insignificant in the total scheme of things, but he could sense that in the near future, this little planet was going to occupy a large part of his time. As he continued through his paperwork, he glanced up every now and then to see if he could see it, but he couldn’t – it was just too small.