Thin wispy clouds scurried across the sky as if trying to get out of the way of the nearing astronomical event.
I’d tried to get eclipse viewing glasses, but when I looked for them, they’d all been given away or sold. The doormen in my building assured me there would be spares. They were correct. When I returned at 3pm, several residents had dropped off spare eclipse glasses in the lobby.
A crowd of people gathered in front of my apartment building, watching, gaping, expressing joy and awe as the moon covered the sun until only a sliver remained visible. At the peak, the sky got dark (though not completely), the temperature dropped noticeably, and a wind whipped through the crowd.
Some people expressed that it made them aware of humans’ insignificance. I expressed awe that astronomers can accurately predict years in advance where and when these events will occur. Imagine this randomly happening. Our ancient ancestors must have been awe-struck in the truest fashion, and terrified.