Depending on where you live, you may have never experienced a desert. If you don't travel much, the odds are even more likely that you haven't.

When I was first married, my spouse and I lived in the Sonoran desert for almost 5 years and the life we had there and the experiences we shared have made an indelible mark on my life. But, there are only a few token items we still own from that season and one of them is neon.

Now, when I say neon, I don’t mean a neon colour. I mean a neon light, circa 1920’s and the Golden-Age-of-the-stuff kinda neon. Frequently, when the sun went down near our home, a van could often be seen parked on the side of the road surrounded by lit neon signs of all different types. Difficult to resist, many people would stop and buy the signs, captivated by the stark contrast of the bright coloured light against the black dark of the night. 

As you can see, we couldn't resist and chose a desert motif with a coyote howling at the moon.

Perhaps better suited in a bar or pub than proudly displayed in my kitchen, we still have our neon light and turn it on for special occasions. But, whenever we do, I am struck by the sheer unlikelihood of this sign's survival due to its fragility.

(If you’ve ever moved a neon sign, you’ll know what I mean when I say it is fragile. The glass tubes are delicate and must be handled with the utmost care. The neon signs of today are constructed differently and built for stability but this one? Not at all.) 

The sign itself is 27 years old and it still works after having been moved more times than I care to remember. Moreover, its fragility seems to have been its key to survival as every time we’ve moved it, we have taken care to pack it specifically and honour its delicacy. 

From the black darkness of the desert to the whirlwind that has been our lives, the sign remains a symbol of our time in an arid place. When we turn it on, it’s bold colours show strength and definition, when we move it, we use kit gloves and keep our fingers crossed it survives again.

As Walter Scott once famously said,

“Crystals and hearts would lose all their merit in the world if it were not for their fragility.”

Perhaps the next time I turn on our neon light, I should reflect more on my own fragility and take a lesson from a 27 year old neon sign from the desert,