Pushing Back the Dark

Winter Solstice.

After today the light increases and the darkness lessens for the next six months.

Light from the sun is an incredibly motivating force. It's presence or absence, along with the ambient temperature it creates is a (sometimes overwhelmingly) major part of daily conversations, the news and there are many apps to monitor it by the hour.

The light contained within a person is ten-fold more powerful. Case in point....Think of that person who is always radiating positive energy and encouragement, the one who first thinks of others and is confident enough to selflessly reach out and share that light with those around them---what is more motivating and powerful?

As the days get longer and the adventures of the summer near, I ask myself, what if I made more effort to share some light with those around me? To make time to vocally encourage their efforts, appreciate their very presence in my life and understand their differences? What if I extend kindness instead of sarcasm or avoidance to those who seriously annoy me? What if I continue to reject the increasing narcissism of our selfie-culture and make my world about serving others? What if I made it known to those I love, just how much I do and just how much I want them to be happy and free with nothing expected in return?

Maybe I am getting wiser with each trip I take around the sun, (a noble goal anyway), maybe I am becoming more capable of expressing what lives in my heart, or maybe I just look around at a world that needs days like tomorrow--days where there is more light than dark.

Give some extra light to that person in your life you see everyday, that person you don't know, that person you want to yell at, that person who is hiding their hurt, that person who you need to find again, that person who [insert your own thought here].

Reach out this Christmas. Be bold. Speak life, speak love. Hug him/her. Smile genuinely. Touch human skin, instead of your phone's screen. Help someone find/chase/achieve their dreams. Give some beautiful flowers to someone beautiful in your life--male or female. Stop and soak in some Christmas magic on Wednesday or challenge yourself to find it again.

Nuture, grow and share the increasing light we are given tomorrow....

Push back the dark!

"If you are kind to helpless things, you don't need a Wishing Tree to make things come true"
-William Faulkner