Fun With Fireflies

Summer is the happiest and most sought-after season for many. But there’s magic to summer

we often overlook. Nowadays smartphones and fancy apps keep track of times, dates and

cycles for us, overlooking the long-standing nature ques of those very things. So, what if instead

you allowed the natural world to communicate the onset of summer for you, and even more so,

remind you to pay attention?

Fireflies are an incredible natural indication that the days are hot and long, and that the good

part of the summer is upon us. Fireflies, after all, are a symbol of “good things to come.” In the

Midwest, the first fireflies are usually spotted mid to end of June. By this time school is usually

wrapped up and we all indulge in the meatiest part of the summer when the days are hottest

and bodies of water most refreshing. It is also the time that living seems easier and dreams

more attainable.

I am often reminded of the times as a child I would chase fireflies, each one leaving me with a

happy heart. It was more than an activity, it was a ritual! There is something mystical about

fireflies. Perhaps it’s their light mixed with warmer days that emits an energy of possibility and

fun. And it is these memories of simpler times that allow the power of ritual and tradition to live

on.

Family Ritual Idea:

At the first sighting of a firefly, let your kids stay up late and play outside. Encourage them to run

around barefoot and sing. You can write a song together that will be the anthem of your

summer. Allow the joy to fill their hearts and let yourself participate in the silliness as well. Allow

nostalgia and presence to simultaneously nourish you. Then, sit together around a fire sharing

your biggest visions for your life and support each other in taking actionable steps to achieve

them.

Soon enough fireflies will be a reminder of joy, of play, of relaxation, and letting good things come.