Friday 5th June, 2020: Tonight is a penumbral lunar eclipse. This occurs when the sun, earth, and the moon are imperfectly aligned. This is how my life feels right now - not quite aligned but not completely off course.
Tonight the earth will cast a shadow over the moon as it blocks some of the sun’s light. During a penumbral lunar eclipse the moon may appear slightly darker than normal. I almost feel like the moon is observing that people are having a bit of a dark time right now. Covid-19 has cast a massive shadow over the past few months and it still looms but I think there is light on the horizon as the number of deaths seem to be decreasing and restrictions are cautiously relaxed (in Scotland anyway).
Like the lunar cycle, tomorrow won’t be the same and the balance of light and shadow will continue to change. I find reassurance in the lunar cycle as it comes back around. Every full moon I take a moment to look up and think about where I am in my life at that moment. As the full moon reflects light from the sun, I reflect on the month that has passed and think about where I’ll be for the next full moon.
Until the end of February, I observed the moon from Bahrain, where I had lived with my husband for almost 15 years. Now I gaze up at the moon from my parents’ house in Scotland. I moved back just a few weeks before the UK went into lockdown. I got my dream job at a Scottish university as a Learning Technologist - basically someone who designs and supports online learning experiences. I could never have imagined how my role would become so vital so quickly as face-to-face teaching switched to online learning for students all over the world. I’ve been thrown in at the deep end but after three months I am enjoying how refreshing it is to do something new. The unusual circumstances of getting to know a team and working with them completely online has actually been really positive. It has felt good to respond to the needs of lecturers and students during these uncertain times. I get the sense that people are grateful that they can still continue their job or studies despite the fact most people are stuck at home and the campus is closed. I wonder to what extent this switch to online working and learning will continue when lockdown is lifted.
By the next full moon, or maybe the one after that, I hope that I’ll be able to see the moon from a nice flat in Glasgow with my husband beside me. I imagine us in a nice neighbourhood with bay windows looking out over a park with the moon rising up above the trees as we plan the next chapter of our lives.
Because of Covid-19, my husband hasn’t been able to have his visa processed because the Bahrain office is closed. I haven’t been able to view flats for us to move into because the government has advised against viewings. Estate agents have been offering virtual viewings but I’d rather experience a place in person. I can imagine it would be tricky to move, buy furniture, and set up utilities at the moment. So I will keep looking at flats online and arrange to view some when restrictions are lifted. I hope I find somewhere nice by the time my husband’s visa has been approved. Hopefully he’ll be able to get flights and won’t have to quarantine for too long when he arrives.
Every night before I sleep, I go and look at the moon and I wonder what it looks like in Bahrain. After reading in bed for a while, I like to go out to the window on the landing at the top of the stairs, rest my elbows on the windowsill and look out at the moon above the sleeping coastal village. It's strange how long it takes to become really dark during the Scottish summer. In Bahrain it's almost always dark by 7pm.
I find it comforting that we both share the same moon even though we are not even in the same continent where everything else such as the weather, nature, buildings, people, food, sounds are all so different. I look at the moon and feel like he’s not so far away.
I think about our future and I look forward to when he’s looking at the moon beside me and I can feel like things are starting to align. For tonight, I’ll just keep an eye out for the imperfectly aligned lunar eclipse of June 2020.