This past week, the Solar Eclipse of 2017 could be seen from many different parts of America throughout the day.

The lessons that the moon shielding the sun taught me were just as important as the awesomeness and beauty of the event itself.

On the day of the event, my friend Ashley and I spontaneously decided to wake up and buy tickets online for the party. It was held in downtown Grand Rapids at the public museum. We logged onto Facebook, and bought tickets for $8. The two of us considered it a steal because we were expecting a much higher price.

Once we found parking - and we found free parking because we are smart thinkers - we walked to the museum and it was packed. The first thing we noticed was that we were thankful that we had bought the tickets online, and not waited until we got there. The line for the tickets to enter the museum seemed endless, but so did the line for buying the eclipse glasses. We reluctantly stepped into the line to buy the protective eye-wear so we wouldn't go blind.

In line, we talked about various topics, but at one point, we were talking about one older woman who thought it was okay to walk up and cut in line by making friends with a stranger who had a similar hairstyle to her own. She succeeded, but that angered me, Ashley, and the guy in line behind us with his two daughters. The guy - who we later found out is a lawyer - decided to take action. He asked his daughters to stay in line until he got back, and walked up to the front of the line. While he was there, he asked an employee what they could do to make sure people were not able to cut in line anymore. He also inquired about how to speed up the process of merely exchanging money for a pair of glasses that were similar to 3D ones, without the colored lenses.

The employees took action. They moved the line dividers and separated the entrance and line from the exit of the gift shop where everyone was purchasing glasses.

When the dad-lawyer got back in the line, he told us about his oldest daughter liking science, which Ashley quickly latched onto in conversation because Ash is a self-declared "science nerd." Hearing people talk about their passion is so inspiring because even though you might not share the passion, you FEEL it. If someone truly loves something or someone, it will show through their words and their actions.

We talked for a few more minutes about school and careers, and finally we'd made it close to the front of the line. A couple employees were talking to each person in line, and giving them a sticky note (ours was four) with how many glasses they wanted to buy, because at that point, only 150 or less were left, and more than 150 people were in line. They took the census of where the cutoff would be, and we somehow made the cut, which I was thankful for.

At this point in time, a lady - maybe a grandmother or older aunt - was struggling to rein in the four children she had brought to the event. She was on one side of the line divider, and the child she was trying to rein in was on the other. The lady decided to let a couple of the kids she still had in tow go claim the youngest, who was wandering the gift shop. Eventually the two older kids found the young one and brought him to the front of the store. The lady looked embarrassed, but at least she had taken some responsibility for the kids without disrupting the flow of the line. She managed to solve the problem without creating more, and that was a plus.

Despite the challenges we face, we'll be able to overcome them. Adversity can be survived. We made it to the front of the line! The lady in front of us raised her glasses over her head in victory, like she had won the Olympic gold medal or something. It might have been a little over the top, but it was exactly how Ash and I felt too, and most likely anyone who actually was able to purchase glasses that day.

We crawled our way through the small exit space we'd been provided by the employees. After decorating our glasses, we went toward the exhibit part of the museum. Ashley and I were looking out the window at the sun - donning our protective gear - when a little girl and her father (I'm assuming) walked up and asked us if we could really see it. They had gotten to the museum after the glasses had all been sold and didn't have a pair. We had four. Ashley looked at the sadness in the little girl's eyes and decided to let her borrow a pair of the ones we had bought. She exclaimed, "Wow, that's so cool!" The excitement in her voice was not hidden, and she was about to give them back to Ashley.

Ash is a good person, one of the best people I know, and said, "Keep 'em. They're yours now." The young girl's father was amazed, and said, "Really? You don't have to do that!" Ash replied, "She's young, she should be able to see it." I could see the thankfulness on the man's face as we walked away to go explore part of the museum. This thankfulness inspired me for the moment and made me see some the good left in the world, even though many things in recent world events have shown people differently. I'm glad to know there are people who still have kindness in their hearts and believe in the good. I'm happy I encounter people who believe in what is truly right and just, like waiting your turn, and being patient, but following the rules at the same time.

My first attempt at taking a picture of the eclipse through my viewing glasses - fail.

At the beginning and before the eclipse started, we were upset that the clouds kept blocking the sun.



Sometimes, I think I'm funny.

 
The radiance and brightness of the sun in these photos are amazing, and that is why I love them so much.

The picture is somewhat low-quality, but impressive for an iPhone 5S that has been dropped a dozen or so times.

The eclipse ended at 2:22 Grand Rapids time, but this picture was more impressive.

The end of our solar eclipse adventure was beautiful.