Explanation (NASA text): She knew everything but the question. She was well aware that there would be a complete annular eclipse of the Sun visible from their driving destination:
Lake Abert in Oregon. She knew that the next ring-of-fire eclipse would occur in the USA only in 16 more years, making this a rare photographic opportunity. She was comfortable with the plan: that she and her boyfriend would appear in front of the eclipse in silhouette, sometimes alone, and sometimes together. She knew that the annular phase of this eclipse would last only a few minutes and she helped in the many hours of planning.
She could see their friend who set up the camera about 400 meters away at the bottom of a ridge. What she didn’t know was the question she would be asked. But she did know the answer: “yes”.
I asked the leaf whether it was scared because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling. The leaf told me, “No. During the whole spring and summer I was very alive. I worked hard and helped nourish the tree, and much of me is in the tree. I am not limited by this form. I am the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, ‘I will see you again very soon’. ~Thich Nhat Hanh
