Growing up, I came to appreciate awe inspiring celestial events; peering into the sky, wondering if I should ever be so fortunate in life. One of these is the solar eclipse; an event that rests at the foundation of ancient myths and legends and has even woven itself into the very fabric of the world’s religions. Some people go to great expense and difficulty to place themselves in places in the world to catch a glimpse of this event, only to have their plans undone by cloud cover.

A picture of the sky over Lake Ontario at 3:20pm

So when this event came to me in perfect glory, how was I supposed to feel as all the birds stopped singing, darkness spread, and the street lights came on as a chill set in the air? To see the red and orange hues of sunset to the south, and then, as I looked up, to have the clouds thin just enough for me to witness this eclipse with my own naked eyes without causing damage or pain? Joyous and grateful for this life are the only words that come close to describing how I felt in this moment. I only had my cell phone with me and did my best, but I honestly wished I didn’t have a cell phone between me and the universe to share this moment of glory. While I was grateful to have my cell phone to memorialize this event in my life, I decided that I had to start carrying a decent but simple point and shoot camera with me on my daily travels, so that I can honour these things in my life in the very brief moments they occur with something that’s designed for this purpose. Something simple to use that allows me to stay in the moment.