Lightning Bugs
I realized tonight (after seeing my first lightning bug of the season) that I rarely see lightning bugs in the city. Fireflies, as some may call them, are a staple of my childhood, and have a deep meaning of freeness, lightness, carelessness... and a sense of being a kid.
It's crazy what the city does to you. It makes you forget about how nature and green things, that are so important, and become somewhat routine in the country, are truly essential to your (my)emotional well-being. I think that in-tune country folk as well as city dwellers really understand this. I, myself, am a girl caught somewhere in between.
After seeing one, I saw another one, and then one more. I noticed how the ones here are not as full of light. They don't travel in swarms, and they fly close to the ground. It was as if the bug knew that it couldn't breathe here.
Tomorrow night, I will return to my true home. Ohio. I will see people who love me unconditionally and who stop to breathe and be free, now and again. I can't wait to see the lightning bugs that will most likely travel together holding hands and floating above the field. I will breathe in their freshness and feel the wind fold around me. The trees and the crickets will fill my ears with their song. My heart will feel light, and I will again be renewed.