I was in Toronto for the total solar eclipse of 2024 happening on Monday. I knew that 99% coverage was not enough so I needed to get to a place in the path of totality. Luckily, the inter-city Go Transit rail line would allow me to reach several such spots easily. I opted for Burlington, a place I haven't visited in a decade. I was also meeting up with the same friend who had settled there back then. The two of us haven't met or spoken to each other since 2019 when we met up for some ice cream near Queen and Ossington during my 4 weeks yoga training intensive.
They picked me up at the Appleby train station and we decided to try for the Waterfront. After we parked just up the street in a No Frills strip mall, they worryingly inquired if I was up to walking the 700m along Brant Street. It was a truly suburban attitude as I had walked several kilometres on Sunday. Brant was a pleasant avenue with numerous small businesses but I wondered how many locals actually come "downtown" regularly. We stopped off at Lena's Roti and Doubles for lunch. Apparently, this suburban chain had several stores all over the GTA. Not sure how the other locations fared but the food here, a small chicken roti ($8.99) and a regular channa doubles ($3.25), was average at best.
Since morning, the sky was thick with clouds. We were unlikely to see the eclipse except for secondary effects (temperature drop, twilight) so we ditched the crowd down by the water and headed for a quieter scene at Central Park. But miraculously, by 2 pm, the clouds were mostly gone. Our eclipse glasses showed us a crescent orb that slowly ate up the sun. Past 3 o'clock and 90% coverage, the shadows became sharp, colours took on an odd vividness while the daylight had a hazy, looking-glass quality. When the sun went behind a major cloud formation 5 minutes from totality, we thought for sure we would miss the climatic moment. But incredibly there was a clear patch, day became night, and after a burst of light at the solar rim, the moon fully covered the sun. With the corona sparkling around the orb, it looked like a hole had been cut out of the sky; it was somehow blacker than the night firmament. Totality was spectacular and otherworldly.
Over the several hours that we spent together, we caught up with our lives. Mine was relatively uneventful as both my mom and 95-year-old grandma were in good health. I related my financial plans from insurance to investing, all with the aim for retirement. Theirs was a bit more up-and-down. They briefly separated from their spouse and moved to Hamilton. But their company in nearby Dundas had a major lay-off last year. It was a blessing in disguise since the racial micro-aggression was stressful. Then they reconciled with the partner and decided to move back to Burlington.
Looking for work in the last 8 months has been challenging. There were several stressors. First, their perfectionist nature meant they worked for weeks on each application. Second, there were usually several rounds of interviews in competition with hundreds of other people. Finally, they were ambivalent about continuing as an E-learning author since they wanted to transition to a different career.
They had turned down a 7-month consulting gig but I gently suggested that they might want to inquire after a different contract opportunity that was in the works. For one thing, there was less emotional attachment to a temporary job. They could also be earning better than government unemployment benefits, relieving any money worries, while figuring out what the next steps could be for a career change.
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