For a long while, I had an idea but not a name the captured the spirit of these guidebooks I was creating.  The original name I came up with just wasn’t resonating as my concept evolved and shifted.  I had brainstormed a list of words that started to capture the essence, but it just wasn’t coming together.  One night over a bonfire (and a beer), sitting under the summer night sky with my husband, we stumbled into something that started to feel right. 

Here in the Midwest, fireflies (aka lightning bugs) dot the summer evenings and add a bit of magic to the night.  They glow from within, using their light as a signal to other fireflies and create a magical experience to those in their presence.  Fireflies use bioluminescence, a process that is highly efficient and essentially effortless to shine their light.  That metaphor lined up with what I had experienced after going through my journey so far and how I wanted other moms to feel, to light up from within and share their unique glow with the world with ease and confidence. 

Life isn’t a clear-cut path from A-Z.  We have a few ingrained expectations (school, college, job, spouse, house, 2.5 kids), but the path to get there varies widely.  For some, those expectations don’t even line up with our real dreams yet strive for them anyway.  When you scout, I think of it in two senses of the word- as a verb, actively seeking, reconnaissance, checking out the situation and as a noun, a type of person who seeks and finds by making a search and discovery. 

Combined, these ideas embody what I feel these guidebooks are about, the illusive alchemy, the seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.  I want us all to be Firefly Scouts, reminded of our unique internal light, seeking magic in our lives and sharing our glow with the world.

If this resonates with you, join me on this journey as a Firefly Scout.  Together will grow our glow and watch how it changes the world around us!