Original Medium Post HERE

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Finding awe, inspiration, and joy in our communities every day

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My family and our friends Annie and Sandy among the crowd gazing up at a crescent sun from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

— -“I know this sounds wild, but I think we are soulmates who come together for eclipses. We were meant to be together today . . . all of us. The little ones too.”

My wife Vanessa’s friend Annie was reflecting over a delicious Mexican dinner a few hours after taking in the eclipse at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame (Rock Hall) in Cleveland.[1]

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After the 2017 partial eclipse in Boston, I resolved to attend the next totality in person. I sent Vanessa a calendar reminder to book a hotel in Cleveland two years ahead — before anything would sell out. Luckily, rooms didn’t sell out quite as early as I thought they might, so her friends Sandy and Annie were able to surprise our kids and join us for the big day.

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We took in the eclipse from Rock Hall’s lawn. The crowd erupted into several rounds of applause as we gazed through our eclipse glasses in awe at the sun progressively disappearing, while Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon played.

As I circled around taking a panoramic shot during totality[2], I saw Vanessa with tears in her eyes, hugging our children, all of them swaying and singing. The song had shifted to the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, and Vanessa felt a deep sense of transcendence, joy and connection. She felt a special connection with her aunt who recently passed away — who had shared a love of the Beatles and the moon.

Panoramic view of the Cleveland Skyline, Rock Hall, and Rock Hall crowd during eclipse totality

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Connection

It was a moment of deep connection across time. I was very aware of our ancestors millennia ago who observed eclipses with terror, fear, awe and inspiration: wondering what they had done to cause the darkening of the sun.

We were able to plan and gather because of the less-terrified people who discovered the science behind these still awe-inspiring marvels.

It was a moment of deep connection across space: for all those at the Rock Hall, with friends gazing at totality from Austin to Lake Placid to Vermont, with strangers too.

The eclipse joined us beyond words, space, and time with a deep feeling of unity, peace and joy. For an afternoon, we were all wonderstruck, immersed in this experience, our phones (mostly) down and our far-too-often-discussed divisions melted away.

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The benefits of awe

We desperately need these moments of unity and transcendence. Dacher Keltner and other pioneering researchers study awe[3], which eclipses can inspire.

Awe is associated with a variety of health and relational benefits.

Awe is woven with our community joy pillars[4] too; it can help strengthen relationships and lead people to be more generous and giving — connecting with purpose. Awe is a mindful experience, and people who meditate more often experience awe more often.[5]

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While our eclipse crew is already thinking about our next eclipse trip, we can’t bring eclipses to our cities on demand.

How do we capture some of that magic and strengthen community joy and connection through awe?

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Awe in our communities

Opportunities to experience awe abound. Here are three ways, among many, to approach awe — with examples from East Boston.

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The arts: the many murals East Boston Main Streets, Matt Pollock, and others have collaborated to bring to the community; ZUMIX summer concerts in Piers Park; the grand annual summer exhibit at the ICA Watershed.

Embedded in each are opportunities to deepen our awe: using the mural example, after beautiful art inspires our awe, we can contemplate all that came together to produce the paint, conceptualize the mural, make space available, and fund the work.

Image from *East Boston Times-Free Press*. Their caption: “Artists, Silvia López Chavez and Felipe Ortiz, with their mural, “Generational Spirit,” on display at the East Boston Social Centers, in Central Square”. Example of building awe — seeing the artwork itself, people who produced it, and equipment used to paint in high places.

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Our neighbors’ generosity inspires my awe. Several organizations recently collaborated to support those impacted by the tragic Meridian Street fire. Hundreds and hundreds of neighbors and friends beyond East Boston quickly, generously gave. When we volunteer and participate, we become part of something much bigger than ourselves, deepening our awe.

(The need remains great; please donate to support those impacted.)

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My co-workers inspire deep awe. As just one example, our early educators teach our children, change their diapers, partner with families, help children and families learn techniques to manage very challenging behaviors, and continue their personal learning and development. When I learn more about challenges with which they are supporting some children and families — including homelessness, neonatal opioid withdrawal, and more, I have deepened awe of our team, our children, and our families.

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I strongly encourage you to see an eclipse in totality when and if you can.

In the meantime, let’s keep finding opportunities to foster and experience awe all around us, as we increase joy in our communities.

Stay joyful, East Boston.