Autumn Equinox 2022

      Every year, for thirty years, I'd take a few eggs to school and balance them on a level surface in celebration of the balance of nature on this day half way between summer and winter.  For some reason, the first day of Autumn was even easier than the first day of Spring for balancing eggs.  Some of the eggs would also stay balanced for a day or two after the Equinox.
            Some people say an egg can be balanced on end any time of the year.  I've tried a few times, albeit halfheartedly, to balance eggs during the other seasons.  It never worked for me.  Maybe I just didn't want it to work, because the balance of an egg on the Equnoxes feels like a magical mix of nature and science and even a little faith.  Students often simply didn't believe the eggs were balanced until I'd nudge one to fall over.  Then they believed; then they succeeded in balancing their own egg.
            Logic tells me that one should be able to balance an egg any time of year if they live on the Equator, but I've never made the trip to try it, and have not yet heard anything from those far away places.  Perhaps if I stayed a few years longer in teaching, as an International Baccalaureate teacher, I could have gotten in touch with another IB teacher from equatorial regions for the experiment.  Maybe you will someday find out for all of us!!
            Meanwhile, I miss the fun and repartee and even the occasional broken egg from those moments in the classroom.  It was always a nice break from the rigors and rigamarole of full time teaching.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention that if the Equinox fell on a weekend, I'd tell students beforehand to balance their eggs at home and bring in pictures.  I always did the same.
            Now I'm retired and working only from home, but I still balance an egg in Spring and Fall.  There is someting tingly and poignant when my fingertips finally slip from the egg's sides and it stands on its own.  I can almost feel the gravity siezing the egg and taking over from my often slightly trembling fingertips.  And I gaze for a moment at the balance and wonder at nature and our world.
            I put as much wonder into the book Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration which I published in 2019, now nearly five years ago.  If you haven't read it, it's still available for only $5 as an ebook, or around $16 on Amazon or Unsolicited Press. 
            My goal these days is definitely NOT to make money as a writer; it is simply to keep spreading wonder throughout our world.
 
Happy Autumnal Equinox,
Mark