Totally Worth It

Many weeks ago one of my great friends from college texted to see if I wanted to join him in watching the eclipse.  He lives in Asheville, North Carolina now, but grew up in Centerville and still has family there.  He came back to Ohio to see his family and witness this rare event.

I blocked out the time on my calendar, but as the date approached I began to wonder whether I should make the trek to Wapakoneta.  The news reports indicated that there would be lots of traffic.  I was worried that I would endure a long slog there, only to discover that all the parking had been taken, and not be able to actually connect with my friend (and other friends from college who had joined in the fun).

Ultimately I decided to simply write the day off and go for it.  If it turned out to be an inefficient boondoggle, so be it.  How many more opportunities would I get to spend the day with these people?  Another eclipse in our region won’t occur until September 14, 2099.  I just committed to going, and was willing to accept whatever might happen.

Traffic on State Route 33 west out of Dublin was S L O W.  So slow that I contemplated abandoning the effort.  Was this going to be the slog I feared?  Traffic eventually opened up, though.  Cruising through Indian Lake, it was impossible not to see the destruction left behind by the recent tornado(s) that hit the area.  I’ve never seen trees damaged like that.

When I arrived at the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum, there was ample parking, and I was able to easily locate my friends.  We spent a wonderful few hours catching up, soaking up the sun, and making sophomoric jokes until the Moon started to creep in front of the Sun.  As the percentage of coverage got to nearly 100%, I was surprised by how much light we still had around us.  We enjoyed about four minutes of totality, where the Moon fully obscured the Sun and we were able to view it directly without glasses.  We marveled at the corona surrounding the Moon with its glorious halo.  It was truly awe-inspiring.  No wonder earlier humans freaked out when witnessing this amazing event in the past.

We waited about an hour for traffic to clear before we went our separate ways.  It took me nearly three hours to get home - a full hour more than normal traffic flow would require.  But it was totally worth it.

It made me wonder how many experiences we forgo out of fear.  Fear of discomfort, fear of being inconvenienced, fear that pursing something won’t live up to expectations.  So we do nothing instead, or stick to familiar activities.  The uncertainty actually adds to the payoff, when things go well.

I think I would benefit from a higher boondoggle ratio.  You might consider it, too.

Sunday Supper
FYI - I made all of the items I suggested for last week’s Sunday Supper.  Every last one of them.  It was a glorious Lebanese feast.  This week we’re jumping fully into Spring.  This Dairy-Free Creamy Asparagus Soup looks wonderful, as does this Risotto with Spring Peas, Ham and Fontina.  This Roasted Salmon with Ginger-Lime Butter also looks amazing.  For a sweet finish, this Double-Caramel Flan will do the trick.

Sunday Music
This Sunday I scanned my mind for voices I haven’t heard in a while, and landed on the truly lovely Lianne La Havas.  This NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from the COVID era is just pure, stripped down, raw, beautiful talent.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,