Thursday, January 6, 2011

firefly wishes.

Remember how easy it was to catch fireflies when we were young? Carefree, we'd chase them on summer nights, our eager reach never failing to capture those luminous orbs twixt cupped hands.


Now I am old and their elusive glow always flits just beyond my reach...

I think fireflies are the unfulfilled wishes of children who have grown up.

{Just don't let me forget what it was like to be a child chasing fireflies. I feel more foolish now that I am more knowledgeable.}

I remember how we would put those fireflies in our mason jars and innocently think we could keep them forever.
{We are children; we are immortal. The night will last forever. Each wish will come true.}

But morning came and our firefly dreams vanished. If we had tried to keep them we would have seen their glow turn to darkness. It is better, I suppose, to remember how beautiful they were. When we were children and we were immortal.


{Pictures found here and here.}

23 comments:

  1. Ah, how lovely. I remember those days of chasing fireflies - but why is it always just in childhood that we do it? Fireflies don't fly where I live in FL, so the tradition of running around amongst them was lost with the move. I'd probably still be doing it now if there was somewhere to go to see them :) If they are unfulfilled wishes, I have to wonder what they means that their aren't any around here. Believe me, the children aren't any happier, haha.

    I never captured fireflies in jars, but I did for inch worms. Have you seen them? I did like worms as a kid (no, no, not eating them or aomething equally gross. I just thought they were cute, haha). Inch worms were cool because they were as small as a finger nail, bright yellow, and would hang from strings. My brother and I would only keep them for a night before my parents found out and made us release them. Good times :D

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  2. My gradnpa used to give me jars and let me run around the backyard, chasing fireflies. They were always tricky, hiding in the maple leaves, but I like to think they realized that I was young and harmless as they always jumped into the jar after a short cat and mouse game.

    Lovely thoughts, dear!
    xxx

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  3. CloudyKim: Well, we still have fireflies where we live and I've tried to catch them as I used to but I can't seem to. (Which was the thought that inspired this post!) I remember some second cousins who live in FL visited us and they had never see fireflies though they were in their teens. They were ecstatic about the "light-up bugs" as they called them. It was pretty funny. =D

    Oh, I love inch-worms too! I never captured any but I would often find them randomly crawling on me or hanging in front of my face. I loved worms as a kid too. They fascinated me. :)

    Ever: Awww, that is such a sweet memory. :)
    Thank you. <3

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  4. Aww, this is heart-warming and nostalgic at the same time. An accurate picture of childhood. I remember once my cousin had a little moth in a jar and told us it was sleeping when it was really dead...then she shook it around and say "see, it's flying, look!"
    And this makes me think of how Jesus says to be more childlike. Must be the sense of wonder, innocence, and trust he was speaking about.

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  5. Hey Melee, I missed you too! I'm glad to be back also :)

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  6. Jade: Thank you! :) Ahaha, oh dear! I hope she wasn't too traumatized!!
    Oh, yes! I really like that... I think you're right!

    P.s. I am Me: I was afraid you had disappeared forever which would have been terribly tragical!

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  7. Oh, this is so sad dear, but beautiful nonetheless. I have chosen to never grow up. I think it is so important that we all keep the child within us close to our hearts forever. We don't have to let our wishes go, we just need to always believe. Never forget, clap your hands, fly off to Neverland and always believe.

    xx and hugs

    Jhordyn

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  8. I always vowed I would never grow up. I try not too. I just seem to be losing touch with my inner-child these days. (I'm having trouble finding the connection between the girl I was to the girl I am now.) Thank you for your sweet words.
    Now I feel a serious need to pull my copy of Peter Pan off the shelf and lose myself in its pages as I used to. :)

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  9. Oh, this is so sweet and lovely. The combination of wistfulness and joy and a little regret is so touching.
    I still get a thrill when I see the first firefly.

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  10. Thank you so much, my dearest Jenica. I do too. :)

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  11. We don't get fireflies in New Zealand.
    Nor do we get white christmases.
    I feel so deprived.

    You've captured fleeting and incandescent beauty here!

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  12. Hahaha, it's nice to hear that I'm not the only Floridian who can't seem to find them.

    Yay, inch worms! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who liked 'em!

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  13. Dear Melee, this is beautiful. I don't know whether I want to be sad by your words, or just accept them with a wise nod. I chase other dreams these days, not the hazy glow of faraway fireflies. I don't mind growing up, I really don't. Thank you for another wonderfully written and thought-provoking post. x

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  14. mckenzie: I hear you about the White Christmases! I never had one till this year. But that is quite a shame. I hope someday you will see a White Christmas and catch fireflies. (Though, not at the same time. That would be quite a phenomenon!)
    Thank you. :)

    CloudyKim: You are most certainly not alone in either respect! :)

    Thea: Oh, how wonderful you've reached a point where you can look ahead of you with a clear-eyed gaze. I hope to arrive there. Well, thank you, my dear!

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  15. Oh, this is so lovely! I wish I had done this when I was a child, though where I lived it was near impossible to do such a thing. However climbing trees never fell short of one my favourite activities as a child. This beautifully written piece brings me back to an element of my childhood, which I wish to relive. Your writing has a tendency to do that, which I absolutely love about it. Tender, tender words. xxx

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  16. Melee, I agree that talking is a good idea, although, what do you suggest if each is as shy as the other? (We're both shy)

    And I also think it is sad when pets grow old, I can't bear to think of when she won't be around anymore :(

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  17. ahh i loved loved your comment on my Jane Austen post! Yes, Jeremy Northam is so great in that version. And so dreamy! Have you seen the newest BBC version? I LOVE it so much -- it does a really amazing job at capturing the little details...it makes Frank Churchill really seem disgusting (which he is!), I feel like the Gwenyth Paltrow version kind of skims over that part. But still, I love both versions dearly!
    Haha, your brother sounds like he has gained some very valuable knowledge throughout your Austen marathons! That's a very good thing in a man ;)

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  18. Joanna: I always wanted to climb trees more often than I did! I could never find many trees with conveniently placed branches, sadly (and now I have a slight fear of heights). Thank you so much! It delights me to think that my words remind you of your childhood. :)

    P.s. I am Me: I am very shy as well so I completely understand. Here's what I do when I have to tell someone something but struggle to get the nerve to tell them: I write them a letter and then give it to them. I find it easier to arrange my thoughts if I ponder them for a while and write them down. I don't know if this would work for you in this situation but it's what I always do.

    It's very hard, I cannot deny it. Just spend every moment with her while you can. Because nothing hurts like regret does...

    Betsey: Hehe, he is so dreamy! Or as my friend says, "he oozes charm"!
    I have seen parts of the new BBC version but have not yet watched it to completion. My mother has, though, and she really liked their attention to certain details. I would defnitely agree the Gwenyth Paltrow version skims over a lot of the Emma and Frank Churchill interactions. I'll have to watch the new one. Actually, when it was first coming out I was in a theatrical production of Emma. I played Miss Bates which was so much fun!
    It is indeed! My father loves to watch Austen and I think it's going to be hard to find myself a man to measure up to that! ;)

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  19. Oh Melee, you could never intrude! I've thought about it too, and have discovered that it's not a bad thing indeed, I actually feel kind of relieved that someone has read my posts - and that they have not judged them :)

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  20. Oh this is lovely! I have never seen a firefly in person; catching fireflies is something magical that I've always dreamed about. I hope I have the opportunity when I move to Virginia–– which I'm determined to do as soon as I get my Degree!

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  21. Then you can come over to my house, Camille, and we'll try to catch fireflies together!! :)

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Silhouettes of a secret. A story told over a cuppa. Or perhaps just sitting on that stone bench, basking in the moonlight... and not saying anything at all.


("I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks." -Shakespeare, Twelfth Night)