At this precise moment, I have a headache. I’m also dog tired and could fall asleep at my desk on a moment’s notice. Why?
At precisely 2:15 AM-ish, my alarm went off. I sluggishly got out of bed (do you know how damn near impossible it is to swipe the “Slide to Unlock” on an iPhone at 2 in the morning?), got dressed into some sweats and my coat, and woke up my oldest daughter, Georgia. Irelyn was too sleepy to get up.
We then went outside and watched the lunar eclipse. I chose that time because I wanted the moon to be almost completely in eclipse but still show some crescent so she could watch it slide into totality. It started at 1:30, but that part is rather boring. I timed it perfectly.
From her excitement, you would have thought my daughter had just been given a pony and a year’s supply of Pixie Sticks. She was thrilled to see the eclipse and even better, was happy to spend time with her old man. She’s 8. I don’t have too much longer until days (or nights) like that are nothing more than a distant memory.
While we waited for the full eclipse, I got to point out a few constellations and asterisms (she had never seen the Big Dipper with her own eyes). We talked about Betelgeuse which I pointed out in Orion, why stars seem small when they’re really, really big, and the speed of light and that we’re so far from the Sun that the light is 8 minutes old by the time it reaches us. She asked how long it took for light to reach Mars (1.52 AU) and surprisingly was able to calculate that what we see of Mars is light from the Sun that is 18 minutes old (8 minutes to Earth, 5 minutes to Mars, 5 minutes back to Earth).
I think for a moment I outshone Sirius with pride.
Dads & Moms out there – spend time with your children, even if it means waking up in the middle of the night to go stand outside in the frigid air to witness an eclipse. Show them how much you love them and cherish the time you have with them. Their futures are shaped by you, so make the best of your time.
Spend time with your children.