The Sun and the Moon…

Each have their separate place and time to shine.  In fact it’s said that the moon loves the sun so much, that it dies every day, just to let it shine.

But an eclipse…what does that mean? One is taking over the other’s light. One is shining behind the other. And the phenomenon is phenomenal.

I went to the epicenter. I wasn’t going to. My thought all along, was, what’s the difference between 98% and 100%… it’s all the same right?

Wrong.

SO, SO wrong.

About two years ago I was on a calendar planning committee for the school district. We were planning the days that the teachers could/ should be working. And the eclipse was brought up. We all rolled our eyes “well, sooooo…..”  is what we said.

We were wrong.

I spent the weekend with my parents who live in the totality zone. It was amazing to see the region get ready for this. It was amazing to see my state, a state with 500,00 people total, be doubled in just a couple of days. It was awesome for the economy…..but more importantly, it brought people together. For something good. For something amazing. It was something we couldn’t disagree on. It was something we could all experience and feel. It was what we needed.

So I drank coffee on the porch with my mother in the morning. Her shielding her eyes from the sun… me with my face right out there, feeling every ray. We ate a huge dinner the night before with people we had never met, but grew to know and were so happy to have joined us and they were there for one single reason… the sun and the moon. And so were we.

I didn’t take many photos. I had my cameras hanging around and on me the whole time. But I mostly watched. And felt. The cool air. The still of the animals. The excitement of those around me. And I was busy eating a root beer float. (Yup, that’s what I was doing during those 2.24 minutes….)

And when it was over, I drove home, a drive that normally takes a little over two hours, took me 9.5. I was exhausted. But….. I knew I only had to this once in my life. So I smiled and took pictures out my car window. Because I knew I needed to take it all in. The sun and the moon….as well as the traffic, because I would never see it again.