Looking backward and forward during this historic event

In 1963, I witnessed my first eclipse — outside the zone of totality on the coast of Maine. I “saw” it through a shoebox fashioned into a pinhole camera, following instructions in a State of Maine leaflet. (I re-discovered that same flier this year and made one for my 7-year-old grandson.) I recall a fine summer day among family and friends. Sadly, my father died in a car accident a few months later, leaving my mother to raise us three boys.

A later eclipse memory was in 1994, another less-than-totality event. I was in Concord serving in the state Legislature when the House and Senate paused business to gather outside the State House as daylight went oddly strange. In 2017 and 2012, I witnessed other partial eclipses.

This year, I hoped for a family event in the zone of totality, but for various reasons it didn’t come together. Disappointment was augmented when my planned book (“Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps You Can Take to Make Our Country Better”) was turned down by a publisher.

As the day neared, I reached out to friend Rik Yeames, a Concord Domino’s pizza franchisee whose eclipse mobile car was featured in the AAA magazine and a NH Public Radio story. Rik called Saturday night to say someone in his group had canceled, and there was a cabin available in Pittsburg, that special community of forests and lakes in far northern NH.

I wanted to attend Sunday church, but heeded Rik’s advice to get an early start up Vermont’s I-91. I came upon a Christian radio station sharing powerful stories of how kindness helped people overcome anger and how a woman found forgiveness for co-workers who had betrayed her. I was also pondering how a young woman inspired me the day before, sharing that she had learned to take the high road despite difficult challenges when growing up.

I exited the interstate for a state route that eventually paralleled the Canadian border, leading back into NH to Route 3 that led to Pittsburg. There was little traffic and lots of beautiful scenery. I found Rik watching Plymouth State University students set off NASA weather balloons. I then drove further north to the Canadian border, stopping on the way back to do a little skiing on snowmobile trails near Second Connecticut Lake, before settling into my Mountain View cabin and joining Rik and company for dinner and fine conversation.

Despite many positives, I was still ruminating the next day, walking up nearby Mt. Prospect via dirt roads and the Cohos Trail. About 20 people were gathered at the summit to watch the show, but I headed back down to join Rik and friends, occasionally stopping to monitor progress using eclipse glasses. Back at the cabins, we witnessed the shockingly quick onset of darkness and the beautiful ring of sun during the amazing 3 minutes and 10 seconds of totality. I also had some wonderful conversation with old and new friends.

I delayed departure and headed home the next morning and, spotting snow in Vermont, broke out my skis for a beautiful 50 minutes. I knew that this was likely my final 2024 cross-country ski, a posteclipse bonus that was immensely satisfying, and there was no longer any pressure to avoid crowds and traffic or wonder if the weather would cooperate.

I had heard stories that seeing a total eclipse can change a person’s life. Paul Piff, a professor at University of California Irvine, has found that awe-inspiring experiences can promote kindness and improve health outcomes. An eclipse “connects us to things bigger than ourselves, motivates us to care for others, and the greater good,” Piff said. That might help explain the lack of road-rage incidents as many drove home the prior evening in dense traffic. Sadly, however, researchers say these effects aren’t permanent.

I am not sure how much this applied to my experience, but know that we can all benefit from getting out of our routines, spending more time in nature and engaging with others. I ponder the lessons for improving my life, including embracing humility. Things don’t always go as planned, and we need to adapt, embrace the positives and be sure to smell the roses.

We each have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, including our own. Don’t underestimate your impact!

Douglass P. Teschner, founder of Growing Leadership LLC, can be reached at dteschner@Growing-LeadershipLLC.com.