In 2017 I experienced my first total solar eclipse. During those few otherworldly hours, I thought about just how much light shapes our everyday lives. As the daylight dimmed and the world around me softened, crescent shadows appeared below. Everyone around me, most complete strangers, became entranced by these shadows; fingers pointed, phones snapped pictures, and smiles lit up. In that truly magical moment, we were all brought together by light. Those with eclipse glasses offered to share with anyone and everyone so they too could experience the awesome power of the heavens. The kindness and genuine humanness I witnessed that afternoon has stuck with me, and I wish more days held that same basic goodness between people. 

We as humans are also a source of light. I’ve noticed we too often stand in each other’s way, eclipsing the light of those around us. We stand in crescent shadows of our own making each day, but we seldom notice the absence of radiance around us. The solar eclipse served as a reminder to me of not only how important light is to our everyday lives, but how important other people’s light is to the world in which we live.