For me, the coolest part about the eclipse…wasn’t the eclipse. It was what the event achieved in totality. (See what I did there lol?) The eclipse brought people together.
Generations.
Families.
Teachers.
Students.
Strangers.
It got people outside, off their phones, to open spaces where they sat on benches, picnic blankets, beach chairs and just waited, patiently without urgency. It (mostly) put errands on pause, work on pause, appointments on pause. It gave people something positive to talk about, something scientific, artistic, beautiful, fascinating.
The total eclipse didn’t just create a direct connection between the sun and the moon, it helped create a connection between people. And my gosh, we all need more moments like yesterday. More positive interactions with people that bring us together, help us to pause, to slow down, to find common ground – with people we know, and don’t.
Just look at social media and all the genuine, happy, photos. You can see the relaxation, the joy. You can feel it radiating off the screen. I saw it and felt it everywhere.
On our local village green.
In front of our library where people gathered around a telescope.
When two little kids greeted their dad as he exited the train station and handed him eclipse glasses and one exclaimed, “you’ll see the moon!”
I myself, had a beautiful interaction with a stranger. I had just hopped out of my car at my son’s physical therapy appointment. I had been taking pictures from my window
“Did you actually get any good ones?” He asked.
“I did! I put the lens from the eclipse glasses on my camera and that helped. Here check these out!”
And then we looked at them together. It was awesome. It took an ordinary moment I would have otherwise shared by no one and made it a little more extraordinary.
And then I went into my son’s appointment and shared the pictures with my son, his therapist and another older gentleman and we all connected over the eclipse and the good ‘ole iPhone vs my Samsung debate! I didn’t get to enjoy the eclipse with all my kids which was a total bummer. They did get to watch it at school though (thank you school for providing glasses for everyone and taking the kids outside!) But we did talk about it…and we did all at least have our connection moment when we attempted to stay up late to watch UConn totally win the title…again. (Yep, UConn basketball family here.)
I gotta be honest. Going into the eclipse, I was all, “what’s the hype. Is it over yet?” Now that it’s over, I gotta say, “Yes, it was beautiful, cool and fun to watch and worth the hype.” Not just because it brought people together, but because it reminded me to slow down and enjoy the bright, warm moments that are happening around me, in spite of the darker ones.
I was going to skip out on the whole eclipse thing. I’m so glad that I didn’t. It was just the heartwarming experience my heart needed. It was a total eclipse of the heart;) (sorry, not sorry, couldn’t resist) and the energy the entire experience gave off, set me up for a nice night with my family. And we needed it.
We all need connection. Genuine connection. It helps us endure the harder times. What will you do today to connect with others? Doesn’t have to be big. It can simply be having a conversation with the barista, complimenting someone on their outfit and sharing joy over spring clothes, or calling a friend.
Or chat with me! Link to set up a call with me in the comments! I have a few openings in the next week to talk for 15 minutes or so. I miss talking with you all. Those chit-chats were the bright spots of my week! Sending my warmth to go with your strength, today and always,
xoxo, Sheila
🧡 The Orange Rhino
