The globe lamp.  This hung at my grandparents house, suspended from a wooden wall attachment that my grandfather made decades ago.  When we would spend summers in Butte with them, the glowing orb served as a night light as we slept.

We lived in Idaho then.  Challis.  A mining town that is now inhabited by ghosts and a stubborn few.

My grandfather worked for Westinghouse, an electrical parts supplier to the Anaconda mine.  (You may have heard of their refrigerators and dishwashers.)  Since he was in sales, he often received bonuses or incentives and according to my mom, this lamp was one of those incentives.

It’s been around for awhile.  My mother was small when he brought it home and Germany was still one country.  And then it split.  And now it’s one again.

It has always hung right above my bed, connecting me to my grandparents even when we lived far away from each other.

Antarctica has become very familiar over the years.  I’ve watched our world evolve and shift, changing names and faces but retaining the same basic structure.

This simple glow of blue mesmerizes anyone who sees it.  Instantly.

…lessons in geography and history and letting things change.

And I’m pretty sure I should move it up a little higher for awhile.

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