My early morning musing was, "Shine a little light on it?" or "Shed a little light on it?”
I Googled my query and found both phrases. I also stumbled upon "Shine a Little Love" by ELO, so my wandering fingers took me to YouTube so I could listen to the frolicking little tune of my past. Maybe I could write about "shining a little love on things" versus "shedding a little light.” And that is how I frittered away the first 10 minutes of my day.
I had a moment-in-the-sun epiphany yesterday morning when the sun shone in all of its glory and showed me what needed to be cleaned around here. I related my keen sunshine vision to the need to hold hard-to-read articles in natural light in order to be able to see better. I thought "there is a column in there somewhere" as I had those fleeting moments in the sun.
Then I lost the deepness of those thoughts on the trivial matter of the wording. The "shine a little light" versus "shed a little light" debacle of 10 (now 15) minutes ago helped me lose what I thought I had to say. I couldn't help but think of the way the world looks when you shed a little love on it. My shine versus shed question was losing momentum as my mind went back in time.
Do you remember those falling-in-love moments? The moments when you walked through your days with an inner glow and suddenly the world looked and felt a little brighter? The moments when you lost yourself in the moment and cast all of your energy towards that love?
Ahhh, it is no wonder I walked through my young adult years addicted to the feeling of falling in love. There is really nothing quite like it. Until you have a baby or a cat (or a dog, if you are a dog lover). I love those moments in the sun that are accentuated by those moments in time when unadulterated love washes over your vision.
I remember catching my reflection in a mirror when I came home from an evening out where I fell madly in love with the idea of falling madly in love. I didn't recognize that girl in the mirror. In that moment, she was pretty. She was full of light and hope.
I remember watching kittens at play, while my marriage was falling apart. I forgot absolutely everything but those sweet little fur balls. That tunnel vision saved me from myself in that moment.
I remember staring at my three-month-old son when my world was crashing down around me. He was oblivious to the drama that was playing out in his brand new world. And he smiled. That smile of innocence and pure joy was life affirming. His infectious smile and the love that enveloped me as I sat watching my second-born son, with my first-born safe and sound at my side, reaffirmed we were on the right path. Shedding a little love on that moment was exactly what I needed.
I remember the combination of sunshine and motherly love that put my life into sharp focus when I sat in a sunbeam with my last-born son. All I ever wanted to be was "this". A mom. The memory is as clear as a bell. I rearranged my life, my finances, my career, my everything to follow through on that clarity. That sitting-in-the-sun moment changed me.
Shedding a little light on something helps you to see what is already there. Shining a little love on things helps you open up your heart so you can feel what is inside of you. The combination of the two is a life-changer. At least for me it was.
We never know when we will have those moments in the sun. They are all around us but we are so busy tending to the world around us that we sometimes forget to see what is already there.
I know it is hard. But try, just try to give yourself a moment to see your world in a different light today. You never know what you will find (and you may just end up washing a window in the process). You simply can't lose.
