Every Brilliant Thing Family List
The Field Trip Newsletter #85
Whew, May and June have been so busy! I have been traveling nonstop for work. Clarkson Potter hired me to take pictures for an interior design book, where I traveled to NYC and Chicago, did some work with Louisana State Tourism in New Orleans (more on this coming soon), and went to a travel writers’ conference in Portland, Oregon. I’m finally home for a few weeks and plan to soak in all the time I can at home.
Coming up next week, I have a packed guide to a jazz-filled family trip to New Orleans, filled with places to eat, things to do, off-the-beaten-path finds, music to listen to, and more… We had a fantastic time in our favorite city, discovering new places, so I look forward to sharing that trip with you. It’s not to be missed.
Until then, with summer upon us, I invite you to make a summer Every Brilliant Thing family list. We saw the theatre version of this production a couple of years ago and have been adding to our family list since then. We each throw in our ideas, and I keep a running list on the notes app on my phone. It lists everything you and your family find worth living for: ideas, places to see, magical moments found in nature, etc. It can be a list of anything that matters to you, but when done as a family, I promise it will make you all smile! A few things on our list are seeing a painting that makes you think of a song, the start of any Duke Ellington song, cold pizza for breakfast, and bird flocks in flight.
One of the top things on our list of brilliant things is walking into the woods at dusk to watch synchronized fireflies in Oxford, Mississippi, each year. We started this tradition three years ago with our friends Aimee, Dustin, and their boys. There are only a few places in the world where these fireflies can live, and the fact that they live in our backyard is unbelievable to me.
As the sun sets, the fireflies begin their show, lighting up the woods around us as we sit silently, watching. It’s easily one of the most magical things I’ve ever experienced.
Here’s where they put on the biggest show. And here are a few other places to find them; if you can, plan a trip there at some point.
I hope you have a brilliant week and find comfort in creating a list of beauty with your family. - Erin