“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”
Celestial events are mesmerizing. They are eye-opening. And they are accessible.
Last August, my Dad and I piled into his truck with our eclipse glasses, camera equipment, packed lunches and a goal to make it to the path of totality in time for the Great American Eclipse. We ended up in a Walmart parking lot that quickly filled with cars, RV's, beach chairs, umbrellas, and people from across the area.
The eclipse was phenomenal. But what was more impressive was the camaraderie and togetherness of this shared experience. Nothing brings a couple thousand people together like sitting on blazing black asphalt in the Southern August heat staring at a giant fireball.
The sun and moon don't judge. They don't hold grudges and they surely don't care about your past. They are just there to create a natural balance in your life. They are there put on a spectacular astronomical circus. But mostly, they are there to remind us to keep looking up with curiosity and perserverance.
