My neighbor still has laundry (we call it “wash”) pinned along several clothes lines on her porch. The struggle is real to get clothes dry these humid days. Fog may linger heavy in the valley until nearly noon, and just when it seems warm rays will evaporate the last bit of moisture, a thunderstorm boils up and spills over, and the air is thick with humidity. I share her dilemma. A long row of sweatshirts will spend the night on the line behind my house tonight. Maybe tomorrow I’ll fold them into a warm pile, bury my face in the smell of summer, then stack them in the closet like firewood waiting for cold mornings.
This one totters along on her too-long legs like a gangly 9-year-old at church click-swishing into the sanctuary in her sister’s high heeled shoes.
The crickets are chirping loud, a symphony communicating “change, change, change,change, change is in the air,” and a flock of killdeer scatter across the meadow when I draw near.
This week, the country (and the news media) oohed and aahed before, during and after the solar eclipse experience, and the best places for viewing were swamped with people bent on being in “the Path of Totality.” The 80% coverage expected here would have suited me fine, but I admit to being a bit disappointed that a heavy rainstorm popped up just when the sky was getting interesting.
The fact that a total solar eclipse is relatively rare contributed to high numbers of travelers and viewers. And for the unlucky folks who couldn’t find the glasses or anyone willing to share theirs…NASA’s live stream was a big hit! (4.4 million people watching midway.) I get the over-the-top enthusiasm for seeing the eclipse in the path of totality. We won’t be seeing one again any time soon on this scale.
But isn’t this steady, nightly beauty just as amazing?
Too many of us have our noses straight down, scrolling, scanning, liking, grazing like the clueless beasts I’ve just passed, never seeing the brief shadow cast by our loved ones as they pass across our lives.
The sweep of that shadow through the path of totality was vivid but oh so brief…
it would have been easy to miss it.
Don’t miss this moment…this moment is your life!