When I was a kid, we had a this globe that lit up that my sisters and I loved. It didn’t slyly house tumblers and whiskey, nor was it simply decor. Ours was prominent in our living room- it sat in its own wooden stand, used its own outlet, took up its own corner in the room next to the loveseat. Everyday, we stood over it, wondering what life was like in all those little multi-color shapes. If I wanted to travel to the world, I’d give the globe a spin, plant my finger down, and imagine myself in the country chosen at random. If we had our way, my sisters and I would keep its light on at all times. It was especially beautiful at night, when the world was dark and quiet. In my memories it was a fancy globe, the kind you find in a dark library with mahogany shelves. In reality, it was probably just a plain ol’ plastic globe. But reality pales in comparison to imagination anyway, which is precisely what a globe emits.

I think it’s kind of rare to have a globe these days. You just don’t need one, with the Internet, Google Earth, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc. Still, I feel there’s something, I don’t know… romantic about having one in your home. I assume inquisitive people would own one. A globe in a home is a constant reminder, beckoning you to come play, to explore. It waits there in the corner of your eye. And when you finally play with it, it doesn’t give you immediate gratification. It forces you to rely on your imagination for just a little while.

I don’t know what happened to our globe. I assume it got lost during one of our many moves. Or perhaps donated by my parents to another family. I hope its found a home. From where I sit right now, I notice there’s an empty corner in my room- I just figured out what it’s missing.