Golden Evenings of Summer

Earlier tonight I and my daughter mowed our yard. After completing the job, I sat for a moment in the waning moments of the day,

watching the sun slip beneath the horizon when something caught my attention—a firefly. In that instance I was no longer a 48 year old man in Madison, AL, but a young boy growing up in rural Milton, FL. I was dressed in a similar manner: shoes—no socks, and a pair of shorts. 

After push mowing 2.5 acres, I would relax and sit with my brothers. It was a time to forget about the troubles of today and the toils tomorrow would bring; a time to run with my two brothers—chasing fireflies. While we did not know it then, we were chasing more than a firefly in the yard. We were chasing our dreams and goals. Many a time we would close our hands over one and then dismiss the idea we had actually caught it, only to open our hand to see it fly away. It was on those evenings when the shadows became so long that they finally disappeared into another, and the last of the sun’s golden rays faded into a memory that we learned how to be men. 

To catch a firefly you needed a plan. You must determine which of the numerous fireflies you want to chase, focus on it, and then chase it with wild abandon until it is safely in your grasp. Do not let it go. Do not let it slip between your fingers. We must focus on a specific goal, follow it until it is obtained, and then after reaching your goal, set it aside and focus on another. 

Those Golden Evenings of Summer a lifetime ago, carefree—yet full of promise, are not much different than those of today. Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life? Did you make something of yourself? Did you reach your goals? The Sun may be low in the sky, but it has yet to set. You can still go in your backyard, find a firefly and give chase until you catch it. 

After a few moments of paging through mental photographs, I was once again in my backyard. My pain ridden body is not as firm, not as fast, and not able to run as far but I was determined to catch a firefly. It took a moment, but I caught one and smiled as I opened my hand to let it go. Chase your dreams. Start today.