This Little Light of Mine

I took a trip to the Oregon Coast a couple of weeks ago for some R&R and while I was wandering around Seaside, I stopped in at Creative Beginnings, a delightful arts & crafts supply store (the high-end yarn selection will make any knitter salivate). For reasons known only to the proprietor, the following quote was painted in flowing script on the rest room wall. I suppose a lot of people besides Archimedes find inspiration in the bathroom.

This certainly inspired me. Marianne Williamson’s bio states that she is an internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher and author. I don’t necessarily connect with all her work, but this wonderful quote speaks to the “light” in us all.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Kindle that spark and let it shine! Just Think Differently.

Free Your Mind and Free the World

I am a slave. I bind myself with the chains of my own limited perspective.

I am not alone, accompanied by millions of other souls who live without questioning the validity of living in a box. This is not to suggest that I’m happy here. I wail and bitch and moan about it, commiserate with other sufferers as we nod our heads sagely about the unfairness of it all. We argue for our right to freedom, holding it up as a sparkling treasure just beyond our reach. Exclaiming that we would do such wonderful things were we able to break our chains, we indulge in fantasies of fame, wealth, health, and success. We fail to achieve these things because our merciless captors hold us back. It is no fault of our own. No, of course not. Pity.

Trouble is, I’ve turned and looked for that jailer only to find that she bears a remarkable resemblance to me. And is that a key I see on the table in front of me? All I must do is pick it up, turn it in the lock and the door will swing open. Stretching before me is the marvelous vista of all the possibilities I could pursue. It’s not that I’m not willing to go for it. In fact, it’s a tremendous surprise that I missed seeing it in the first place.

What is this key, anyway? How did I miss it?

I could give a hundred reasons and they would sound like a mix of blame and denial. There are plenty of pop-psychologists with unflattering opinions and religious zealots out there ready to beat us for our “sins.” I prefer to take a kinder, gentler road. That was then, this is now. Then I didn’t see it, now I do. My door is open and I’m moving on. Let go of the past, baby. The only thing you have to work with is today. Yesterday is out of reach and fading fast.

When things are looking grim, open your eyes and your mind. Take notice of that shiny thing sitting in front of you. Pick it up and look it over. Then ask yourself the kindest thing you can about the corner you’ve painted for yourself: is it real? Is there another way to look at this thing? How bad could it be to get a little paint on your shoe on the way to your goal?

Take some steps. Just Think Differently.