Today’s new word.
Umbraphillia: a lover of the moon’s shadow (“umbra” is Latin for “shadow”)
I have been a little behind with my blog lately. The last few weeks have been so busy. I had guests in town, my #LittleLove started school and I had various other commitments. In the middle of all this, my town was in the direct path of the great solar eclipse of 2017.
I must say, this may be one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my lifetime. In those 2 minutes and 17 second of “totality” (as they referred to it) for our town, I was in complete awe. I could actually feel my heart pounding. It was more than I could have imagined. With all the hype on the news for months, weeks, days…a part of me was expecting a huge let down. But there it was, God’s beautiful creation and science. And yes, I believe in both.
I took it all in…with a huge smile on my face and a feeling of contentment.
I read an article about eclipse chasers and how addictive it be. I get it. Here are a few excerpts from the “chasers.”
From the article:
Witnessing an eclipse is so overwhelming it has created a global community of “addicts”
As a clinical psychologist, Russo has worked with people who are dying, and people who have just lost a loved one. Those patients, she says, “seem to understand how precious life is in that moment, that we really have to live the life that’s important to us.”
“During totality we can have those same feelings. I find that whenever I see an eclipse it gives me the life insights that I don’t normally get,” she says. “I feel that the world would be a better place if everyone could experience a total eclipse. You feel a part of something greater.”
Werner agrees: “It takes us outside ourselves and makes us think about the universal,” he says. “I believe [Carl] Jung said that if you don’t have the experience of awe in your life, you’re very susceptible to a number of pathologies.”
The article also stated that “Experiences of awe bring people into the present moment, and being in the present moment underlies awe’s capacity to adjust time perception, influence decisions, and make life feel more satisfying than it would otherwise,” a 2012 Stanford University study concluded.
Well thank you eclipse of 2017! You came and went, but you certainly left me with a whole new appreciation of this beautiful and amazing universe we live in.
My town during the experience.
While I think being downtown with the crowd could have been cool, I actually stayed at home with my #LittleLove and we watched it from our front yard. We took it all in, quietly…in complete and utter amazement. Life is beautiful.
Fuel The Soul Today 