Today, April 8th 2024 marked the last full Solar Eclipse in the contiguous United States until August of 2044, and, thankfully, I was able to catch a glimpse.
I say thankful to catch a glimpse as I was at work during the majority of the event. However, at 1:55, right about the time of totality locally, I and some co-workers went on out, sharing a pare of the oh-so hard-to-find eclipse glasses taking a look as the Moon just about completely covered the Sun.
It was, of course, a beautiful moment for me. The closest someone like me has to what many would call a “religious experience” as I took the time there, in the strange twilight created during an eclipse, to just appreciate, well, existing.
Life hasn’t been the best the past couple of years, but in that moment, I forgot about everything that has happened, and what challenges I’m still facing. I didn’t realize it then, but in that moment I just forgot about it all. I didn’t care. In that moment all I could focus on was the beauty of the moment, of the event… and for a little while, things were perfect.
Sure, I saw the 2017 eclipse, and did a decent job documenting it from my place and perspective at the time, but still, I knew that I had to live in that moment and just appreciate it for what it was.
It was nice to, for a short while, have things seem right.