I was looking at an age spot on my forearm the other day and wondered whether I should get a tattoo to cover or incorporate it. “Something small and modest, but with meaning,” I thought. “Something that would not admit to the original reason. Perhaps a realistic version of the smallest of butterflies.” Then I thought without any apparent trigger, “what about a firefly?” When they are not lit up, they look like the kind of bug we would swat at or try to avoid, but at night, when the firefly glows, it is magic.
How many things are there that seem ordinary or even distasteful until we open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to see their full and true essence?
I do not know whether I will get the tattoo. But I hope that those that can (those with backyards) will take a few simple steps to make a home for some fireflies.
