As a small kid I remember running through the pasture next to my grandparent’s house to catch fireflies, probably in Mason jars. Alone, or with my cousins, this was a preferred activity in the summer. The existence of fireflies, I have recently discovered, is something that I have taken for granted most of my life.
A few months ago my boyfriend moved from the mountains of Colorado to the hills of Missouri and I have been seeing my home state through his eyes which brings everything I have ever known or thought about life here to a new perspective.
Seeing the firefly’s light reflect in his excited eyes made me realize for the first time since I was a kid just how magical those bugs are. I realized this even more when friends and family visited from Colorado and they all experienced the magic of the firefly for the first time. There is a certain peace in being able to sit around a fire in my suburban backyard yet feel like I am in the country as the fireflies flit around and glow like embers from the fire.
I was once invited to a middle school choir concert by a youth I worked with as an Autism Specialist. I remember sitting on the hard bleachers in the tiny school gym and smiling as his group sang the song “Fireflies” by Owl City. In that moment I knew I was experiencing something I would hold on to for a long time to come. The position I held at that time, the people I worked for and with, and the memories I frequently recall were part of the absolute best time in my professional career. That is why when I heard the song “Fireflies” on the radio en route to my first day at a new job recently I felt confident that good things were to come. Although I still have much to learn in my new position, I can feel that my suspicions may be correct; good things are to come.
It has been the summer of the firefly and that means magic and the confidence of good things to come.
