Solar glitch

Yesterday it got dark. I live on the edge of the path of totality, so I made sure I was outside reading during the partial eclipse. I could tell the time was getting close when my neighbors stepped out of their house and onto their porch to yell at their kids. “You get back in the house, Hazel. I’m not going to say it again!”

In the leadup to the eclipse, many other men in the neighborhood mowed and trimmed their lawns, probably wanting to be outside when the Moon goddess swallowed the Sun god and spat him back out again.

A solar eclipse aligns well with one of my many illogical phobias, so when the light started to dim I had to resist the urge to run inside and crawl under the covers. As a modern man I celebrate my connection to ancient forebearers and their fear of celestial events. I was surprised that I could tell when the sun was mostly covered. The change was subtle, but I could perceive the light was getting dimmer and when it stopped and then started getting lighter. Immediately my anxiety cranked down to 10% of what it had been a moment before.

I didn’t look at the eclipse directly. That would be too much of a reminder of my insignificance in the universe. Birds didn’t fly backwards. I didn’t have a spiritual awakening. But I’m glad I got outside to experience the solar glitch.