Whether we realize it or not, a great majority of us has heard the music "The Flight of the Bumblebee". If you're not sure if you have or not, look for it online. It's a very common piece. I remember it mostly from watching cartoons when I was little.
I was in the mall the other day, and some pieces of art caught my attention. There was a display of local college and high school students' art work. Not having any artistic abilities, I appreciated the work very much. Most of it was pretty cut and dry as to what was represented in the paintings, but there was a group of about five paintings that were inteded to be abstract art, or open to the viewers' interpretations. This kind of art has always been unique to me, because it lets your mind and imagination run free with what you are viewing.
Now I am sure that you are wondering what the Flight of the Bumblebee has to do with abstract art. Well, as some of you know, I am (not to sound arrogant) a somewhat talented writer. About every couple of years or so, I take one of those weekend writing classes that are designed to help people with their writing techniques. I do this to keep up with any new ideas or theologies that are coming in the world of literature. Yes I am a nerd, I realize this.
Well last year, (I think it was last April) I took one of those classes. The teacher of the class went on and on about "abstract writing", which is, the story, and its purpose is left open to the interpretation of the reader. I had just been to a friend's kids band concert and they played "The Flight of the Bumblebee". The concert, coupled with the assignment in class to write an abstract piece got me to thinking...so I wrote about something that was very near and dear to my heart. The piece definitely has a special meaning to me in my personal life, but the funny thing is, when copies were passed out to the class, many different interpretations of it came forth. It was quite interesting, and I guess since most people gathered something different from it, then the mission was accomplished. I know a few of my regular blog readers may "get it" but most probably won't. Anyway, here is the piece for you, and if you want, comment or email me back and tell me what you think.
The Flight of the Firefly
With summer approaching and spring already in its full glory, I can't help but to remember those warm nights when I was a child. Several nights a week, I, along with a couple of my friends, would go over the church lot across the street. Behind this lot was a thick set of trees, which made the landscape very very dark. The reasons we went over there were plenty. Sometimes we would play hide and seek, sometimes just play chase, but the times I remember most vividly were when we took our empty jars over there and tried to see who could catch the most fireflies. Sometimes we would see who would catch the most orange, green or whatever color. But usually we just wanted to see who could catch the most...period.
As anyone who has ever chased a firefly can tell you, it is not always the easiest task to catch them. You can also not get so caught up in chasing one in particular. First, these little things don't want to be, nor were they intended to be caught. Second, if you focus all of your attention on one in particular, then many others will fly right by you and you will miss the opprortunity to catch them. The old adage, if you blink, you'll miss it, definitely rings true in these situations.
Then you have that rare occasion where you may just be sitting there, minding your own business and one just happens to come right to you. Ironically this usually happens when you aren't even chasing fireflies at all. I remember one time as a kid, sitting there with my friend, back against the big oak tree at dusk, just talking. All of a sudden, this firefly just started flying around in front of us. This was the most odd firefly that either of us had ever seen. It's "flash" seemed to be an off-blue color. Definitely not a typical glow of a firefly. We watched that thing for a good fifteen minutes it seemed. Finally, it came, landed on my friend's shoulder, stayed there for a moment, and flew away again.
Life, and its events are very similar to this experience. Sometimes when you really don't expect anything interesting to happen, the most beautiful things just happen. Totally unexpected, totally out of nowhere. It is in moments like this, that you learn to truly treasure life and its occurances. You can be walking along, in your daily routine and grind, and all of a sudden, the most beautiful firefly just comes and totally grabs your attention. You can chase this firefly with all of your might, but it's never going to come to you unless you stop, and divert your focus elsewhere. Chasing these kinds of moments is almost always futile. They have to happen naturally. While they are occuring, you must appreciate them for their delicacy and their beauty. They may be there but for a fleeting moment, but in that moment, we are given just a little slice of Heaven. When that moment has passed, the best we can hope and pray for is more moments just like that.
*END*
Okay, as I said, I got plenty of different replies as to what people thought the story meant. The teacher gave the story all sorts of praise, but I really didn't see it as a very good piece of writing. It was definitely not thought out, but came straight from my feelings. I guess some of the better writings are that way. I really don't know. Like I said, it meant many things to the many people in that class, so it may mean something totally new and unique to you. We all have those "firefly" moments that just mean a lot to us and stay in our minds and hearts. I know that I have a lot of those moments that are burned into my memory. This story does mean something very special to me though. Maybe one day, I will reveal what its meaning is to me....but until then...tell me what it means to YOU! :-)
