This essay changed my mind about eclipses
Consider this my assigned reading to you for this weekend!
Helen Macdonald wrote the essay “How to Stay Sane During a Solar Eclipse” in anticipation of the 2017 eclipse. I remember distinctly and aggressively NOT caring then. My entire school made an event out of it, making solar glasses and having the entire student body go outside to watch it. I stayed indoors, away from windows, and worked on lesson plans.
Then I read the essay in Vesper Flights in 2021 and regretted my actions.
Macdonald confesses that she normally hates crowds, but that she became a convert to viewing the eclipse with others. She says there’s something magical about witnessing something that seems so unnatural with other humans.
When the partial eclipse happened last fall, I was curious to see if there was any truth to her argument. I was at the State Fair of Texas, enjoying corn dogs and family time, but constantly aware of the time of the eclipse. I was eager to test Macdonald’s claims. Right as it was starting, I not only watched the eclipse unfold through shadows cast by the leaves on trees, but I watched the crowd and world around me.
The verdict?
It did become strange to see the light change in midday.
And it was cool to see the other nerds in the crowd: people who brought their solar glasses to the fair; others who didn’t even know it was happening, but walked out and saw the world all grey; strangers pointing out to each other how you can see the eclipse through the shadows.
So, I have to agree with Macdonald here.
Whatever your thoughts are on the eclipse, see if you can read this essay (link to NYT article here; I highly recommend the entire book Vesper Flights). Yes, she’s literary and thoughtful, and she may seem a bit melodramatic about it all, but it’s also beautiful. I hope it sparks some curiosity in you!
I won’t be with a crowd this year because that’s my toddler’s naptime, but I’ll be watching from my backyard! Here in Dallas, we’re in the path of totality, but it may also be a cloudy day. I was bummed out about that, but Macdonald shares that even cloudy eclipse days are wondrous… so I’m still looking forward to it. What are your plans for that day?
Featured images: my lettering of her words on the first image (lettering and illustration done via Procreate), followed by snippets of her essay (graphics from Canva), and images of where you can find her essay to read for yourself!
NLD x Swapna 