Life is a continual dance of energy. Literally everything that we see, hear, touch, and know - including this book that you hold in your hands, and your thinking about what you are reading - is energy in one of its many forms and expressions.

Nearly all of our physical energy comes to us from the sun. Follow a bundle of sunbeams from their source across ninety-three million miles of space until they reach the earth's atmosphere. Observe their progress when they get here and you'll have a better idea of what energy transformation is all about.

As they near the surface of the earth, sunbeams warm the atmosphere, and weather is born. Winds are created, waters move, and the planet is sculpted. This is only the beginning.

Some of our sunbeams are captured by hungry green plants and put to work to grow new shoots or fruits: carbohydrates - food - ready to satisfy the lucky animal or human who happens along. The process continues. Food sustains life, as animals and humans grow in size and strength. A big, strong adult takes a walk, or dreams a dream, cries over a silly movie, builds a monument, or makes a baby . . . and all essentially powered by sunbeams. Amazing! This is the simple magic that creates life as we know it. It's all energy dancing!

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