United By the Solar Eclipse

When I read several months back that a total solar eclipse would happen at the end of the summer, I discussed briefly with my girlfriend Mary that we should take a trip into the 100% zone. We live in Connecticut, a 70% zone. Unfortunately, camps and life got in the way this summer, but to be honest, we forgot.

It wasn’t until I last week when I read in the Wall Street Journal about a shortage of eclipse glasses that I remembered. It was too late for us to do a trip, but we could at least watch the eclipse together on Monday. But the article went on to say that the demand was so great, most stores were already out of those glasses, and worse, a flood of bootleg product had hit the market, much of which failed to meet federal safety standards. I called my girlfriend and said, “We should get some glasses and watch this with Ryan (her 14-year old).”

It took until the weekend for us to get into action and it quickly appeared that we’d waited too long. According to one newspaper, only a handful of national retailers were selling the proper eyewear. I hit two different stores on that list, each was sold-out; according to the managers no more were coming in. According to a clerk at a Loews in Norwalk, Connecticut, there wasn’t a single pair left in the entire state.

Mary hit a couple of stores that day too and she also came up empty. Then she realized that 7-Eleven was on the list and she swung by the one near her home and scored the last four pairs in the store. The manager said she’d heard most, if not all of the other 7-Elevens in Connecticut, were sold out. No more glasses would be coming in there either.

I can’t say whether the manufacturers of these glasses simply assumed no one would care, or if interest in this eclipse swelled beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. I’d read that hotels along the 100% corridor were sold out. Apparently, people all over the country were caught up in eclipse mania. Seems like all of us need a diversion from politics.

Thousands of years ago, mankind assumed the very worse when a solar eclipse occurred and understandably so. But once humans began to crack the celestial code our relationship with the universe transformed. Come Monday many of us will don goofy glasses, hold the hand of our child, and look upward at a dark afternoon sky. For a brief moment, we will forget our differences, united by a natural phenomenon that the world’s astrophysicists can predict with precision down to a nanosecond.

It’s a lot easier for me to explain science to Ryan than politics these days. Don’t get me wrong, we talked a little bit about Charlottesville, but the kid is on summer break. He’s only 14. He doesn’t need to grow up today. But he is old enough now to know what’s going on. We’ve talked about the importance of understanding different perspectives, that red or blue, neither side has it 100% right on everything.

We watched Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos together. Nobody explains space better than Doctor Tyson. I think I learned as much as Ryan did, perhaps more. And I can’t think of a better way to show a kid that super smart people come in all shapes, color, and sizes.

We’ve also watched Rick and Morty together. Part of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming, the show might be a bit risqué for Ryan’s age, but I knew he’d seen it because his older brother, a junior at Villanova, loves it. Mom’s not thrilled, but I figured it was better to check it out before passing judgement. Rick is a crazy scientist that travels through parallel universes. It’s very entertaining and several interesting concepts have sparked Ryan’s imagination and curiosity. After an episode, we often end up talking about the possibility of worm holes, time travel, and other dimensions. We have a few laughs too at the shenanigans Rick drags his family into.

Summer’s almost over. Ryan will soon be back in school. We were only somewhat successful in limiting his time playing video games. At least on Monday, we know he won’t be playing them. The anticipation is building. His glasses are by his bedside. You’d think it was his birthday. My sense is, excitement is building in homes all over America. For one afternoon at least, the solar eclipse will unite us all.