A work trip brought me to Eindhoven, The Netherlands — but it was the annual GLOW Festival, a city-wide celebration of light, that brought me to wonder.
The City of Light
Eindhoven, the place where light originated (thanks to Philips and the invention of the modern electric bulb), sparkled and thrummed during its annual GLOW Festival—a gathering where artists use illumination to explore connection, creativity, and community.
A Night of Wonder
I wandered through towering sunflowers, their petals glowing and pulsing as if they were breathing.
A nearby field shimmered with tiny points of brightness—like fireflies rising and falling in slow motion—drawing soft laughter and gasps from adults who momentarily rediscovered childlike awe.
And then, a luminous skull adorned with flowers appeared in the grass—a quiet, reverent tribute that felt like a whisper to those we’ve loved and lost.
What stayed with me wasn’t just the art, but the way radiance gathered us.
People slowed.
Eyes lifted.
Faces softened.
Shoulder-to-shoulder we stood.
Even the rain felt like part of the ritual.
GLOW reminded me that light—especially in art—doesn’t simply illuminate; it connects.
It warms us, lifts us, and invites us to be present.
Moving through the installations, I realized how seldom we pause long enough to let beauty land. Travel often returns me to those raw moments when I feel alive.
The incandescence we witnessed didn’t demand attention; it simply waited for us to see it and share a moment of wonder.
And when we do, we become part of something bright and tender and real.
Finding humor when life doesn’t follow the script