Last week, my daughter Julia and I caught fireflies. Magical little beings, fireflies communicate with bioluminescence.
It’s easy to learn why they glow. But, I’m not interested. Their enchanting lights shine for Julia and me to chase. We giggle catching them and smile releasing them. Our backyard becomes a magical oasis from the world.
It’s not always possible to play: I’m busy! Yet I looked at my calendar last week and felt lost. All my commitments had ended. No longer did they dictate every moment -- and I wasn’t sure what to do.
It should be freeing to see empty days. What is this need to have a full calendar?
Our society values busy-ness. We overschedule, overwork and overplay and then become overtired. Maybe busy-ness symbolizes success. If we aren’t doing something constantly, then we aren’t successful. It’s easy to fall into that trap of doing, doing, doing. But it comes at a cost, this busy-ness.
And the fireflies explain it perfectly.
When they glow, I drop my troubles, concerns, and stresses. I simply accept the moment. The world shrinks and all quiets down. Peace comes.
Busy-ness often doesn’t allow for peace. Peace doesn’t always fit our notion of success -- and it should. If we can value the glow of a firefly, then why can’t that be success? It’s simple: We just have to slow down, step out of our schedules and chase those glowing fireflies.
I’m Elsa Glover, and that’s my perspective.
