Eclipse awe and the Rapture blues

 

While everyone else wasrushing outside to stare at the sun (with protective glasses, we hope), I wassitting at my desk with the patio door open to a quiet and calm backyard. Iwasn’t so interested in seeing the aura around the sun—heaven knows there’vebeen enough pictures online and in the news media. I was more interested inwatching the world go from light to dark and back again. The darkening was a slowthing, and the air took on a funny color, like it sometimes does before a Texasstorm. Out my door and over the neighbor’s roof I could watch a patch of highclouds to the southwest without danger of looking at the sun. The dappling onthe clouds changed slowly and was fun to watch. I didn’t see thecrescent-shaped shadows that many others reported. I was surprised at howslowly the darkness moved in.

Then in Fort Worth we had twominutes and twenty-four seconds of darkness. While others have reported thewind kicked up, I didn’t notice that. I did notice the quiet—no birds, nosquirrels. It seemed forever, and in the midst of it I wondered what wouldhappen if the lights forgot to come back on. But then the light came back, Ithought more rapidly than it had left. Totality was at 1:40 and well before twoo’clock we were back in full sunshine with those high clouds that let somepeople see the sun and made others along the path miss it. Later, I would seepeople describe that silent dark time as everything from holy to creepy. I wassort of in between—it made me think how everything in our world works together,and most of it for our benefit. We knew the light would come back. I readsomewhere this week that those science deniers on the extreme right seethemselves as forced to choose between their faith and God or science, and theychoose faith. What’s sad is that they cannot reconcile the two in their minds.That’s what the dark moment was to me—a convergence of science and faith.

The mood across the countrywas much less solemn and more celebratory, with news programs showing peoplewhooping and hollering, and it struck me as significant that when nature wentsilent, mankinwas at its noisiest. I’m not sure yet why the joy in the eclipse—wasit science? Faith? Survival?

Then, of course, there was thewhole Rapture business that got wrapped into the eclipse. A friend, who bemoanedthat it had missed him again, helpfully advised that if you missed your rapturetoday, you can catch another in 18 months. But if you miss that, it’s somethinglike 350 years. In truth there are several total eclipses throughout the world eachyear, so I suppose rapture followers could just get the schedule and followthem-good excuse for travel. Some posts about the Rapture were hysterical—I sawsomeone who offered Rapture protection. Don’t want to be snatched up? Just callhim, though I don’t know if his work was guaranteed or not. Anotherentrepreneur was offering pet care—if you are swept up in the Rapture, he willcare for your pets (what? They can’t go with you?). Of course, his work wasprepaid, no refunds. And there were several posts about leaving random clothesscattered around so it would look like you’d been raptured (does it required nudity?I’m shocked!)  My mystery mind can seeseveral great plots around the Rapture—someone who wants to disappear can leavethat clothing trail, or perhaps if you are into paranormal, someone is presumedto be raptured, until his or her body is found, the victim of murder.

A couple of serious notes: Ihope we’ll hear about observatory studies of animals during the eclipse. Areporter in Fort Worth was assigned to zoo duty, studying the reaction ofanimals. That becomes a bit personal to me, because I’d been thinking about howI’d protect Sophie during the eclipse, though I had no idea if It would botherher or not. The thunderstorms predicted for later tonight would probably havebothered her more. Just one more thing to remind me of the hole in my heart.

Another serious note: if youwant to recycle your eclipse glasses, there will be an eclipse in South Americain August, and schoolchildren need glasses to be able to watch it. There’s alink on my Facebook page about how you can contribute your used glasses.

The excitement is over, and Ifor one am ready to move on. I was beginning to tire of the eclipse hype. Sohere’s to the rest of the week—may it be whatever you want it to be. In fullsunshine!