“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”
~Helen Keller
There’s this thing up in the sky today. It’s round and golden, hazy and fuzzy around the edges. Rays of light angle out from it, beams of brightness tumble down onto the ground below. It’s welcoming and warm, and it’s turning the mountains of snow into molehills. Okay, that last part is a total exaggeration, but the snow is starting to melt a bit, and with a high of forty-five today, it almost feels like spring outside. Seriously, with the way this winter has been holding much of the country in its icy grasp, the prospect of temperatures in the forties feels like a heat wave. I’m currently pondering whether the sidewalks are clear enough to take a walk.
It’s amazing what a splash of sunshine can do for the spirit. It sets it on fire, baths it with luminance. It infuses a sense of happiness, of freedom, this sense of being alive and ready to embrace the world. For me, anyway. Of course, it’s also tempting to throw open a window, breathe in the fresh air, and do a little happy dance. I’m refraining from that last part since my dancing skills leave something to be desired, but that won’t stop me from doing the first two. February 6th, and there isn’t ice clinging to the tree branches. There isn’t snow fluttering through the air. There isn’t a monotone sky that’s shrouded with weepy clouds. There’s a blue sky. One with fluffy, cotton candy clouds. One with that glowing bubble of warmth. And sure, there’s more snow and cold temperatures in the forecast for later this week. Sure, we’ll be reminded that winter is far from over. But for today, why not take the time to enjoy this little sneak peek that Mother Nature’s giving us?
We can choose to see the world through that monochromatic lens, or we can opt to see the sunshine even when it’s not there. Because, like the stars, it’s always up in the sky, even when it’s hidden from view. Maybe there are clouds shielding it, maybe there’s rain and snow, but eventually, with some time, patience, and hope, the sun always breaks through again. There’s a paragraph toward the beginning of Reflections of Me that goes like this:
The night sky is dark, a velvet backdrop that’s home to a sea of sparkles as more and more stars make their grand reappearance. I ponder that as I stare up at them. Day after day, night after night, it’s always the same. Sunrise, sunset, moon and stars. The pattern holds steady no matter where you are in the world, no matter who you are. It’s a constant. Even when clouds overshadow the rays of light, when storms darken the horizon, the sun and the stars are still there. We may not be able to see them, but we’re still as sure of their existence as we are of our own.
Even when storms darken the horizon – maybe especially when storms darken the horizon – that’s when it’s most important to keep working and keep wishing. We can add our own sunshine to any situation, and then, when we’re least expecting it, the real deal will come back to sparkle and glisten. Literally, figuratively, and everywhere in between, you can’t beat that.
Well … maybe throwing in a milkshake wouldn’t hurt. Those are a sure sign of spring, right?
Shari Speaks 
I was remarking this morning that everyone seems so much happier and lighter with the sun shining outside. Definitely lifts my spirits!
Isn’t it amazing what some (comparatively) beautiful weather can do for the spirits? This is the third day in a row we’ve had sunshine and everyone definitely seems so much happier. Here’s hoping it continues!
Sounds like your day was as refreshing as mine!!! Both filled with awesome hints of spring that have actually let us breathe…and not breathe to live, but breathe to relax and just be.
Enjoy!!
It was honestly the most refreshing day in months. We’re back to cold temps and crazy wind today, but the sun is out so I can’t complain. I’ll take whatever hint of spring Mother Nature’s willing to offer … because, like you said, there’s something special and invigorating about breathing to just be, to just take it all in.
Hope you enjoyed it, too!
Your such a lovely, gentle, inspired writer. I find it calming kind of. Like time stands still or something.
You’re also a very kind person.
I am not sure how to defuzz my brain. Its like I fight so hard to be positive , but my physical and work situation are so …depressing…that I cannot bring out a naturally loving and witty and sarcastic person inside that I am…I just wish I could do that because then I think I could actually write. Its like I have no spirit for it.
You’re so sweet … thank you very much for your most kind words. They’re certainly appreciated :-)
It can be so hard to write – to do many things, really – when you have something weighing on your spirit like that. For me, writing is like an escape at those times. It’s cathartic and therapeutic, and I find that it inspires me to bring that positivity back to all aspects of my life. My family had a very, very difficult summer, but even in the worst of it, writing gave me a way to just let go and lose myself in the good for awhile. I know your situation is different, but I so hope you can find a way to let out the person you are inside and find that hopeful spirit again. You so deserve it.
Make the milkshake chocolate and you’ll be way on your way :)
Oh, but of course … is there any kind of milkshake better than chocolate? ;-)
Beautiful, inspiring words, as always. :)
This morning I drove to work, and when I stepped out of my car I walked out into softly falling snow, the big, fat, fluffy snowflake kind that seems to just float instead of fall. Yet the sun still shone and the last clouds in the sky were drifting away.
It reminded me that things are still beautiful – even snow (which has terrified our country this past month in many ways), especially when the sun shines through it!
Isn’t it amazing what a little splash of light can do? You’re right, it seems like so much of the country is completely snow-weary after the past month, but when you look at those fluffy flakes with a backdrop of glittering sunshine, they paint an entirely new picture. And the ones that float instead of fall? They’re kinda magical in their own way :-)
Here’s hoping that the sun keeps on shining through for all of us, in everything we do and see!
(P.S. Email me your new address when you get a chance – I want to be able to send a card when the little guy is born!)
Pingback: Spring Fever. |