He Asked If It Was His Eyes

A seventy-four-year-old patient lingered at the exam-room door to ask Dr. Aisha Khalid an embarrassed question. He had taken his grandchildren out at dusk to catch fireflies, the way his own father once took him, and in an hour they saw three. He asked if it was his eyes. It was not his eyes: as many as one in three North American firefly species may now be at risk of disappearing. His eyes are fine. It is the rest of us who stopped looking up. The front porch is open. Readers of the Cedar Valley News are gathering on Facebook to respond to the editorials, share their own stories, and join a conversation built on respect, honesty, and no party lines. Come sit with us: https://bit.ly/40p8jKy