Goodnight, Moon
Watched the lunar eclipse last night. Shared the experience with a friend via text and my son who came out on the porch just as the eclipse hit totality. It’s nice having people in your life with whom you can share the beauty of an eclipse. My favorite bit was watching the star field appear behind the moon when it lost its reflected brilliance and became simply a dim orb sitting in the evening sky. There are lots of stars in that sky.
Later, after we had all retired to our beds, I awoke, briefly, and went outside to look at the moon again. This time it was bright and pure white and lit the landscape with its reflected light. Quite a sight to behold and I beheld it because seeing the earth in the moonlight is worth the trouble of a semi-sleepless night. I soaked in as much of the view as I could while waiting for my body to chill a bit and desire the covers of a warm bed. When it happened, I retired again, happy, to gain a few more hours of shuteye.
Sharing the beauty of an eclipse or a sunset or a cool morning by a lake sets my endorphins to cascading. In fact, you could say it doubles the pleasure; I like all those things on my own. and like them even more when someone is with me. This little quirk was one of the things that helped the tsunami of grief recede after my wife died in 2020. I began to remember all the moments of beauty we shared. I knew I’d always have those memories. Then friends began sharing things they loved with me. I opened myself up to those gifts. I began sharing in return. All that sharing and love created new memories to go with the old, and gave me a high ground upon which I could stand and see a future past the crashing waves. And that’s where I am now and that’s why last night was good.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale