Window Light
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.” – Williams Wordsworth
Wyoming hills near Cheyenne, Wyoming
“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” – C. S. Lewis
Dog in boat, resting in the sun
“To love beauty is to see light.” – Victor Hugo
Leaf on Lake
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle Onassis
- My mother and I on my wedding day. My mother passed away Christmas Eve 2012. My heart hurts.
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”- Edith Wharton
“Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” – Walt Whitman
I had a really good day today. I spent time doing meaningful work; I played with my son. I watched him build a mountain out of couch cushions, which he called his mountain. He climbed it, curled within it, and sat atop it proud. He stood on it, went underneath it, and cried behind it when I moved one of the pillows. Toddlers are curious creatures; their moods so intense. I thought to myself, “My son built a mountain out of pillows. Who says I can’t move mountains?”
I continued my day thinking only positive thoughts — I let the light in, after all it was shining. I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with my son. He stood on a chair, pouring in the ingredients. I let him crack the egg, allowing his own method of crushing it. Surprisingly, no eggshells fell into the batter. The light shone in through the kitchen windows. I pulled back the curtains I usually keep closed. I let the light in.
My day was filled with warmth and sunshine. After I dropped off my husband at work after lunch, I took my son with me to get shoes. I never shop for shoes. I needed a pair of sneakers. I found the perfect pair: purple Nikes. I had the check-out clerk call the manager (in fact I asked twice — I get that from my mom being a little pushy when necessary). I thanked the manager for a wonderful shopping experience. My son played with a penny we found on the ground walking into the store. He ran up and down the aisles as I walked away from the shoe helper in mid-sentence looking for my toddler son, whom I could hear laughing. The shoe helper, TJ was kind and patient. He knew a lot about shoes; he knew a lot about feet. I tried on a dozen pairs at least and asked two dozen questions about shoes. TJ kept an eye on my son and told me if he was within sight if I had lost sight of him. My purple shoes were perfect. I have bad knees, torn ACL and ACL replacement surgery. TJ helped me find my purple shoes. He was kind. He was knowledgeable. He also was born the year I was a sophomore in college.
I told the store manager how great this shoe shopping experience was after we checked out. Purple shoes, bubbles my son found near the check out line, and M & M’s in a bag. The manager smiled, revealing Invisalign braces and shiny freckles on his forehead. He was happy; his light was shining. He said, “This is great. Usually people call on me to complain.”
“This is not the case. I have had a wonderful shoe shopping experience today.” I followed with, “I really hate shoe shopping.”
He asked me, “Is this your first time in the store?”
“Yes, but it will not be my last.” I smiled.
My light shined.
“Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.” – Desiderius Erasmus
***
My next stop was to get my haircut. Ben and I blew bubbles while we walked. His light shined. I focused on this moment and held my breath. I felt lucky.
I gave my hairdresser three cookies: homemade. We chatted about motherhood and its hidden secrets. I told my hairdresser, Libia, “I give you creative freedom with my hair.” She cut my hair as we talked. My son ate M & Ms and played on the floor. I shared my creative passion with her: writing. I love my hairdresser. Her light shines. I always request her and I get my hair cut at Great Clips. I wouldn’t spend any extra money at a fancy salon. She is that good. She is that kind.
This time my hair shined.
I finished the day at the park with my son and mom friend.
My son at the park with his friend
It was a lovely day.
I went to pick up my husband at work. When we got home I noticed a strong scent of poop. I checked the area for a rogue dirty diaper. Nothing.
Then I check my new purple sneakers. Bingo!
I stepped in dog shit getting out of the car — in my brand new perfect purple sneakers. Dog shit happens.
You can always clean it up.
It was a good day. Light trumps dark. But the two exist together. Today I chose light. It chose me. We shined.
Mirrors of beauty
MemoMuse 