Remembering That Diamond Ring, Forever

ALL I KNEW WAS, I wanted to make the eclipse a memorable event, as if a total eclipse is insufficiently memorable unto itself. Seven years ago, August 21, 2017,when I watched the last one from my front yard, the year 2024 seemed far, far in the future. Then suddenly, it had arrived. This time I went with a group of people on a drive of about fifty miles, into the totality zone. We drove along a beautiful two lane road, with no other traffic, between rolling hills covered with greening spring trees. Gorgeous mountainous region in the spring. Dogwood trees growing voluntarily along both sides of the deserted highway. We never saw any sign of the supposed millions of people who were flocking to our state to see the total eclipse. We had obviously eluded the mob. The beautiful drive to and from the eclipse totality zone only enhanced the experience. We arrived at a state wilderness reserve, a sort of state park, and other people were already gathered there, a fairly large number, but not a huge crowd. We timed our departure and arrival to coincide with the eclipse. It was a pretty day, with only high wispy sirrus clouds passing in front of the sun, no problem, just as the weatherman had predicted...As we parked and walked away from the tour van, I decided to put on my eclipse glasses, a take a took. The eclipse had begun. There was a large bite out of the sun. I became very excited. "Hey everyone!" I exclaimed. "The eclipse has started! Look!" They ignored me, and kept walking. I became frantic. "Look at the sun with your glasses!", I practically yelled in their faces....Finally, they did. For me the experience lasted over an hour, as the moon slowly, steadily obscured the sun, and it grew darker, and got colder. Several women standing close to me got excited, and started talking, all at once. Meanhwile, they put down their eclipse glasses, which I kept exhorting them to pick up, put back on, and use. "Once in a lifetime experience ladies, once in a damned lifetime!" One lady brought her dog, cute, for sure, but she kept talking about her dog, while the sun vanished....Another lady put her eclipse glasses back on, and proclaimed that she was having a spiritual experience. Good for you, now shut up and just watch the eclipse... As the bite taken out of the sun got bigger, and the temperature kept dropping, and it got darker, the energy level among us humans only increased, and the rapid fire talk kept pace. At the moment of totality, which lasted several minutes but seemd to last one millisecond, you could only see the sun with the naked eye; the eclipse glasses were useless, too dark. The moment of totally evidently lasted about four minutes, but it seemed to me like a millisecond. Of course, in theory, the moment of absolute totality indeed lasts about one millisecond. But the sun never entirely vanishes. It becomes a diamond ring. Only the unaided eye, or a telescope could show it. I used my naked eye, and looked in awe at that diamond ring, the perfect circle around the dark moon, with a flash at about two o'clock, the diamond itself. Light pouring through a mountain pass at the precise point where light meets dark on the lunar surface. The thought that I was looking at the most beautiful diamond ring in the universe I thought was original, for it had been years since I had heard that common description used. A lady next to me said she couldn't see anything. It was none of my business. But I was frantic. I had to say something, do something. "Put down your glasses"! I yelled. "Just look at it with your eyes!" I wanted to rip those damned eclipse glasses from her uncomprehending head.."With your eyes"!...."You're not supposed to do that!", she meekly responded. None of my business, I told myself. "Oh my god its a diamond ring", I kept repeating.... I still could not remember ever having heard anyone describing the moment of totality as a "diamond ring". But when I got home, all over the national news that night, was the same diamond ring metaphor, accompanied by photographs of the eclipse which perfectly matched what I has seen. I was transformed, forever. I still am, and, I hope, shall always so remain. But the lady refused to put her eclipse glasses down, even though they were useless to her. She explained to me that she had been told that the worst time to look at the sun directly was the moment when it was being totally eclipsed....as if there was some black magic, blinding curse to a totally eclipsed sun...no ma'am..during totality, is the best time to look directly at the sun, the only time, and, in fact, you have no choice...I bit back on my frustration, realizing it was useless, I had led the horse to water, the moment was mine to savor...I shall forever remember that diamond ring, it is burned into my mind, like a beautiful ornament of my life. And I shall always feel a sense of accomplishment, for the lady did indeed, finally, at long last, put down her eclipse glasses, just in time...I hope she always remembers it too.