On Monday thousands of St. Lawrence County residents witnessed a “once in a lifetime” event as the moon blocked our view of the sun in what’s called a total solar eclipse.

I’m sure most of you saw it. I hope most of you were able to view it.

When you think about the chances of such a thing, it’s pretty wild to comprehend. The moon being the right size at the right distance to block our view in such a way that we experience that particular phenomenon is pretty amazing.

The odds of such a natural occurrence I’m told are quite low.

Seeing totality occur and watching the sunlight first break through after was something truly special that I’ll keep with me.

I was fortunate enough to view the event with some close friends and family and I was glad I did. Finding time to get together with friends and family can also be a rare and unique experience as days fly by ever faster.

I imagine someday I’ll be able to show my grown children that even if they don’t remember it exactly, they witnessed some magic on April 8, 2024.

I suppose it’s only natural after viewing something of such magnitude to think about “what it all means” and of course I did and have been since.

Oddly enough as I thought about that grand occurrence, I was reminded of the fact that every moment we’re on this planet alive is just as special as that magical event, in fact more so.

Don’t get me wrong, there is something truly amazing about a shared experience like that and I don’t mean to take away from it, especially when it doesn’t involve tragedy or politics. That’s obviously a unique and wonderful thing.

But, honestly so was the tag-team wrestling match my boys had against me on Sunday on the trampoline. So is seeing my son hugging his grandparents in the morning after I drop him off on the way to work. So is his older brother reading to him in the evening or them both falling asleep on the lap of their mother or grandmother.

I’ve come to appreciate how even a quick conversation with my parents in the morning is something special that I shouldn’t really take for granted, although I often do.

The eclipse was an experience I’m sure we’ll all be talking about for years to come. But I really think my biggest takeaway from seeing something “once in a lifetime” is that I’m pretty fortunate to have this lifetime at all.

In time, I’m sure this feeling will fade, but I think we should probably do our best to stop and appreciate our existence, which I’m also told the odds of such a natural occurrence are quite low.