Here I am in Washington, D.C. one of the most interesting cities in this great country. I’m fortunate to be able to spend the week working here and soaking up the culture so different from the other Washington that I call home. With a hotel across the street from the Library of Congress, I’m in bibliophile heaven. At lunch I get to visit the Library of Congress, walk through the Supreme Court, visit the Smithsonian, and watch the beehive of activity at Congress. The weather is incredible and the opportunity to work at the Administrative Office, fantastic.

And yet it was tonight after eating dinner at a lovely small Ethopian restaurant and walking back with two fellow judiciary employees that I experienced the highlight of my trip…fireflies! As we meandered through the beautiful historic capitol hill neighborhoods, talking and sharing, I suddenly came to a dead stop.  Living in an area where fires are a concern come summertime, my first thought was spark! It took a moment for what my eyes were seeing to hit the brain. When it did, I started to laugh. My two companions looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. I had to explain that despite the fact I’m a long way from being kid anymore, I’d never seen fireflies. The pleasure of seeing those little flies sparking with light in the dusk of early evening as we walked along brick sidewalks lined with brownstone homes and old-growth trees is hard to describe. I smiled all the way back to my hotel. I wonder if I’ll dream of fireflies?

Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures that make all the difference.