I almost missed the Lunar Eclipse until I saw that my dad had tried calling me but couldn’t reach me. (There’s a corner in my room where the network reception disappears. Sometimes, actually, always, a blessing in disguise, especially when I’m deep in my head. Read till the end to find out why, if you’re interested.) When I called back, he asked whether I could see today’s moon and that he needed photos. Apparently, the phones around him weren’t doing justice to the beauty (but guys, have you seen phone photos making rounds online? Talk about advanced technology). Then it clicked: today is blood moon day, or rather, the Lunar Eclipse. A girl had forgotten.

Ever been in a situation where you’re pulling a tripod out of its bag, grabbing the camera, double-checking if the battery is charged, and the card is in place? Getting the lens attached, only for the tripod to decide today is the day it’ll be chaotic? It takes forever to get the shoe off. I even ask my son to fetch me a coin from somewhere. Mind you, it’s past his bedtime, but I need extra hands. Finally, the setup is ready. We start watching the clouds drift across the moon. Luckily, I’ve shot previous moon cycles from this side of the balcony, so I know where to point and what settings work. But this time the lens refuses to focus. With past moon shots, my focus peaking was red, so I could see the edges pop. But with the blood moon, that didn’t work, and only while writing this did it hit me that I should have switched the peaking colour to white. I know, I’m being very technical here, but that’s where my head is. Still, I kept pressing on, nudging the focus ring while the moon slipped in and out of the clouds.

Patience, they say. So we waited.

When she peeped out again, I asked my not-so-little one to bring me a stool so I could stay steady for the shots. The first few attempts, when I was hurriedly fixing the setup, were crap. I ended up formatting the card, deleting them all, along with backuped older photos. That made me more determined to stay, because a girl needs evidence. So, we sat (yes, still past his bedtime, but oh well). While I played with the focus, he decided to Google what a blood moon is, why it’s red, and why there are shooting stars. At first, he was just talking to himself while I stayed zoned in, but eventually, he started sharing his answers joyfully with me, maybe to calm me down a bit. That’s our relationship: he knows when I’m not in his vibe and goes off to seek his own answers, only to circle back.

I still don’t know why I didn’t just change the peaking colour. Anyway, I got a shot in the end, and I was happy. Somewhat.

We got back inside and packed everything up, satisfied! I went through our usual night routine with my son, checking the time and hoping he would not have a sluggish morning. Later, I edited a few photos and shared them on the family WhatsApp group, on X, and on my WhatsApp status. Then it struck me again: I’m still not on Instagram. Not until I figure out how to balance being on the app without draining my creativity.

I don’t know why I wasn’t more prepared, but the way the setup came together so quickly, and the patience it required, reminded me that sometimes, you simply have to wait for what you want… or, in this case, what you technically needed. Also, a reminder to take more behind-the-scenes shots.

It’s past midnight on September 8th, and I’m writing this from an interesting mental space. It could be the moon and its cycles. It’s moments like this that actually do remind me to persist. Even in the bleakness, even when everything feels pointless, I find myself holding onto the belief that I need to keep waiting and keep trusting the process. I have to believe that eventually, when the time is right, it will make sense.