Eclipse: One of those moments.

For the second time in my life, 38 years after the first one, a total eclipse of the sun took place in America. 

Here in Tulsa, we weren't total but we had 90% of the sun blocked by the moon.  The effect was that of dusk,  when there's enough bright light to create a shadow but it was muted softly.  It's hard to describe.

The last time this happened for me was in February 1979, when I was 10.

That eclipse gave Tulsa about 75% coverage of the sun, and it was a day long event for my 5th grade class.   My teacher,  Mr. Brown, a teacher I hold in very high esteem in no small part because of the 1979 eclipse, brought in what I remember as the lenses of a welding hood to allow us to view the event.

It was awesome,  and that memory flooded back into my head today along with the discussion that followed.  He pointed out that the next one would be in the next century,  which was nearly 40 years from then and that we would be older than he was when it took place.  It didn't hit me until this afternoon,  when the sunlight was growing dim and the funny shadows were coming through the trees that I had made it to that day we had talked about in the prefab classroom in the courtyard of my now-closed elementary school that is roughly a half mile away from where I sit writing this.

I feel very old right now, my friends. I can't lie.

There have been eight presidents since the last eclipse.  The Space Shuttle, now retired,  had not yet flown to space.   In the summer of 1979, this country's first attempt at a space station (Skylab) would burn up on reentry.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were standing.  The building destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing, was only two years old.

For me, it brings me a mixture of feelings.  Sure, I feel old, but I am somewhat proud of myself that I made it this far.  At age 10, you never have a concept of  age because there are so many new things in your life still ahead of you. 

So while the eclipse today was as thrilling as it was in 1979 for the wide-eyed ten year old young man I once was, I was a bit melancholy about the fact that something that I had looked forward to for a good bit of my life was over.

Yeah there's another in 2024 and I plan on being part of that one, but tomorrow is not promised. 

See you then.  :)