Belonging Resource: Seeing the Fireflies

Mid-semester often brings a subtle shift. Workloads increase, the pace steadies, and people begin to move through their days singularly focused on their individual goals. It’s in this quiet pivot that belonging can loosen, sometimes without our noticing.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem “Are There Not Still Fireflies?” asks a simple but piercing question: If the world remains full of small beauties and shared human experience, why do we sometimes retreat into fear, isolation, or distance?

That is, in many ways, the work of belonging. It requires us to pay attention to what is good and possible in community, especially when things feel heavy or fragmented. When we choose to notice the “fireflies” (gestures of care, peer relationships, faculty-student touch points, spaces where people feel seen), we widen the circle for others to step into.

Taking a moment to reflect, when thinking about our campus community:

• Where or what are the “fireflies” on our campus right now? Those bright points where people feel welcomed, known, or supported?
• How can we make those moments more intentional, more visible, or more frequent?
• Which small gestures (a check-in during advising, an affirming message in class, a peer-to-peer conversation) might help someone feel less alone this month?

As we move forward, may we keep looking for the fireflies and keep becoming them for others.