Getting Lit

Summer nights on my grandparent's farm were filled with my brother and me running around catching fireflies. To me, they seemed to be magic. Tiny, soft lights flickering in the darkness.

As I'm looking back at my life and how I got here, my mind is drawing parallels back to that very magic.

There were so many tiny, soft lights in the darkness as I stumbled through my life. I didn't see or understand most of them then. I have such clearer vision in my rear view mirror now.

Writing dramatic poetry as a young girl.

Every moment spent listening and consoling others.

Words of wisdom shared far beyond my years.

Every ache of discontentment.

Every time I felt the itch to break free from a life that didn't fit.

Every instinct I followed when logic told me not to.

Every risk I took without knowing why, only that I had to.

Every person that I met along the way that felt like home.

They were all lights - showing me, piece by piece, who I really was.

And maybe that's what purpose really is - not some big moment of arrival, but the steady uncovering of yourself through the sparks you're given.

It's not a lightening strike that reveals the whole path at once, but a trail of fireflies that only light up enough for your next step. The flickers are always there - waiting for us to notice. All we have to do is trust them and follow.

I will keep following what makes me feel safe, what makes me feel authentic, what makes me feel stronger. I'll choose the things that make me light up from the inside out. Then I, too, can become a firefly.

To Cody - you are a firefly, lighting the way without even realizing how bright you shine. ❤️