My unexpected lesson from the Solar Eclipse

Unexpected lesson from the Solar Eclipse

Does something become less awe inspiring if it’s not rare?

Recently I traveled to Mallorca to watch the total solar eclipse of August 2026. I had seen a total solar eclipse a few years ago in New York but it was cloudy and I missed the spectacle of the actual event. As amazing as it was, the only thing I experienced was the sudden nightfall in the middle of the day. It was pitch black for a couple of minutes and then it was daytime again.

I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to miss the next one. I didn’t. I traveled to Spain for it.

What I didn’t expect were the thoughts it would trigger in me. The prevailing thought in my head afterwards wasn’t about how spectacular the eclipse was, but whether we make such a big deal out of it only because it is so rare.

A few weeks later I was sitting at a restaurant by the Golden Horn in Istanbul. The moon rose slowly over the water. It was shining like a lamp, the texture visible on its face, its light laid across the bay.

And I couldn’t stop thinking that this too is a jaw dropping phenomenon. It puts on this show every day, every month. Different shades, different shapes.

The fact is that we become indifferent to the most amazing experiences in life as we get used to them. Rarity and novelty create an illusion that something is more interesting or valuable, but that isn’t true. We are surrounded by unbelievably interesting phenomena every single day, from the fruits we eat to the moon that rises to the people around us.

I am grateful for having experienced the solar eclipse for a reason I couldn’t have imagined beforehand. It reminded me to see the wonder that is always around me, and to be grateful for the things I take for granted.

My unexpected lesson from the Solar Eclipse was originally published in The Great Mystery on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.