 Around 2PM Eastern today, the sun and moon will hit the heavenly dancefloor and show off in a stunning, astronomical exhibition. A swath across parts of Mexico, the Midwest, and eastern United States will be treated to a total solar eclipse, a tango in the sky, where the moon will temporarily block out the sun and thrust us into midday darkness. It's not the first time humanity has witnessed such a sublime wonder--one that evokes exhilaration, curiosity, awe, and woe--and it definitely won't be the last. Although, one should note that this is a particularly spectacular eclipse for those in the USA because it will cover numerous states. While another total eclipse is due in 2044, it's only going to cover a fraction of the states in the US--about three. The country won't see another total eclipse comparable to today until 2045, cutting a swath along the southern US, and then 2078 and 2099. So, for many of us up in years, this may very well be the last total solar eclipse we witness. If you can pull away from work for a few minutes, you might want to join the millions whom already have bought lawn chairs and specially-made glasses for viewing eclipses. Grab your lunch or some popcorn and enjoy the afternoon for the last total solar eclipse of a lifetime for many. I'm sorry, did that sound morbid or nihilistic? "Last total solar eclipse of a lifetime?" Well, unless you're a healthy Millennial, Gen Z or Gen Alpha (or a vampire planning to travel the world in search of one), this is it. And maybe, just maybe, that's a cause for pause, Boomers and Gen X (of which I'm a member of the latter). How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless. The above quote, made popular by actor Brandon Lee--son of martial artist Bruce Lee, has been a particular favorite of mine. It's so easy for many of us to assume tomorrow will come, to assume someone--or some thing--will always be in our lives. This eclipse is a reminder that for as plentiful as these encounters and experiences seem, they are--indeed--finite. In that, I hope Heaven has an end-of-life summary, like Spotify or Twitch's year-end summary, that tells you how many times you listened to a particular song. How many times did you watch your favorite film, how many ice cream cones did you eat, or how many miles did you walk in your favorite park? As someone with a rigorous--yet monotonous--routine, I think about such things all the time. Up at 6AM, check the day's schedule, read and answer emails, doom-scroll Reddit, wash dishes, eat breakfast, work on projects, annoy the angels, eat lunch, do chores, work on projects, eat dinner, bug the angels s'more, watch something on Kanopy or listen to a book on Libby, doom-scroll Reddit once again for good measure, sleep. That's it, that's the routine, but for how much longer? Thirty more years? Ten? Three months? Two days? Hold tight. I'm going to circle back around to this thought in a bit. For now, let's move on.
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AuthorChantel Lysette, International Author and Psychic Medium Archives
May 2024
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