April 8, 2024

Today, I sat in a wide open field in the park not far from home, with my children, my parents and hundreds of members of the community. Across the city, province, country and continent, millions of people gathered outdoors for a celestial show. Racing to the park, chasing the eclipse, we saw a rare sight: people on their doorsteps, on the corners, on the sidewalks, not looking at screens but instead looking up at the sky. What a treat, to witness teenagers actually talking and experiencing life, instead of hunched over their phones. What an experience, to see so many people out of their homes just for this incredible moment in time.

Above us, the sun was eaten piece by piece; a wheel of cheese losing calories as time went by. Periodically, we donned our glasses and gazed up as the orange ball above was squeezed behind the black sphere of the encroaching moon. The crescent of fire shrank minute by minute until finally only a small portion remained – then suddenly, a ring of white flame surrounded the pitch black globe and the field erupted in groans and cheers. Applause broke out as the seconds ticked by, and Venus sparkled just below the sun and moon. Then, an enormous halo encircled the star, satellite and planet and one lone airplane tracked shadows across the expanse.

Sitting with my nine year old boy and fourteen year old girl as totality approached, we felt the chill in the air and the real, guttural fear that only events like this can bring. My son looked at me and said “I’m scared”. I explained to him that yes, I was afraid as well, and that this sense of awe – in the real true meaning of the word – is something that humans have experienced since the dawn of time during events like these. A total solar eclipse, when the moon snuffs out the light of the sun for brief minutes, can feel like the end of days. The ninety seconds of totality felt so brief, yet endless. The exclamations of joy, wonder, surprise and yes, fear, from the hundreds gathered with us in the park, reminded me of the shared destiny of humanity – to travel through the stars together while the universe dances around us. Powerless. Tiny. Amazed.

A day like today inspires. It drives home the wonder of existence, the insignificance of our lives in the grand drama of the shifting, rotating spheres above. It whispers quietly of enormities beyond my comprehension, but screams of the fibers that tie us all together in a totality of being.