I Never Knew...

Friday night I found myself walking from the law school to the bus stop late, with the last light of the day fading from the sky. Just past the law school, next to a chilling station, there's a small grass lawn.

A few trees deepen the darkness. I walked between the lawn and the road. Not many cars passed by and the sidewalk was empty. As I walked, a flash of light zipped across the corner of my vision. I walked on. Then another one. I looked around. Was I seeing things? Another flash in the grass up ahead. I looked at the road to see if a car was coming, thinking there must be something reflective in the grass. No cars coming, so it wasn't the reflection of headlights. Could it be...?

I paused and watched the little field. Another flash. And another. It had to be. I stepped from the sidewalk to the grass. I saw the lights, like tiny sparks, flash into existence, glide along the ground, then disappear. Fireflies, the first I'd ever seen.

I never knew how much I wanted to see them. I stood there mesmerized. For a few seconds, almost a dozen would wink in and out of existence. Then a few seconds would pass without anything. Then one or two more glows. An unpredictable, spectacular, miraculous little light show.

I never knew how beautiful they are. I never knew how incredible. I felt a sense of awe I've only felt a few times in my life. The last time I can remember feeling it, I was walking home to my flat in Australia. I looked up in the sky and saw a familiar sight - Orion. But Orion was upside-down. I'd never thought I wanted to see that so much. But once I did, I fell in love with the sight. All my life I'd been taught that Australia is on the other side of the world. That night, for the first time, I knew it for myself. I still feel that awe every time I see the familiar shape in the sky.