This was a one year project from the summer of 2011 to the summer of 2012 that turned into a full-on journey of taking good stuff that came from a Gen X childhood and bringing it to life in a new way. Some of it was specific to my own experience, and some of it was from the Gen X collective experience. Some of it was about the different regions/cultures of America that influenced me in my formative years. The project is about passing on good things to those you love and making new traditions, too. 
Why did I do this? While I wasn't exactly sure why I was doing this when I started, in doing the project, I was able to mend a few rips and patch a few holes in my soul. In the mending of my own experience, I am more able to offer up string and a needle to help others do the same. I think a good metaphor for life is a quilt - while there are many old pieces of material that are best thrown away, there are also many pieces that are important to keep. This project shows you how I am stitching the quilt of my life, so to speak. The pictures in the Fireflies at Dusk entries are done in a sort of anonymous way - since this is a sort of "picture yourself here" project.
What it included:
The journey included arcades, movies, root beer floats, Atari, the glow of fiber optics, Peanuts holiday specials, a pumpkin patch, a retro Halloween costume from the 1960's, homemade construction paper valentines, a new guitar, and Easter eggs.
It's sort of amazing to think about...
We were chosen to be born at an amazing time and place in history. There are books, shows, movies, people, toys, and other things that collectively colored our growing up years and our generation. All these things - from the food we ate to the weather on the days of our best memories are important. We should remember these things, enjoy these things, and bring these things back alive for ourselves or those we love. Remember the things that brought the spark alive in you, re-live them to bring the spark alive again. Live like everyday is a miracle. Live like your life is a miracle. It is.
To read all the Fireflies at Dusk entries - scroll down the blog archives on the right - it took place from summer 2011 to summer 2012.
To get you started, here is a link to the very first piece: Pizza and Atari night
All photos for the Fireflies at Dusk project were taken by Chloe (c) 2011-2012. All rights reserved.
