Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. ~ Chinese Proverb
Yesterday afternoon the skies became almost nighttime black. A storm was brewing and it looked ominous. It hit with a fury — blinding rain, tree-bending wind, and angry thunder. No problem. We need the rain. The temperature dropped to a bearable level. I love a good summer storm. I watched for a while from the front door, then settled in with a book. Shortly the lights went out.
Well, I thought, there’s plenty of daylight left. The power company will have us up and running before dark. Sure enough, at about 6:15 the lights came on. I high-fived the air. As I lowered my hand the lights flickered and disappeared.
“Be prepared.” I told my best boy scout self. I stashed my tiny travel flashlight in my pocket and put a candle and lighter on the nearest table. With cell phone in one hand and reader in the other, I was ready to ride it out.
I LOVE modern technology. I used my phone to go online and report the power outage. I read all my pending email. (Now I need to respond to some of them.) I played Solitaire and Sudoku on the reader. I play those mindless games because they free up my brain and allow me to think. I recognize that thinking sometimes gets me in trouble, but I do a lot of it all the same.
For obvious reasons, I was thinking last night about light, both figurative and literal light. Literally, as night fell, I chose to add candles to my table in order to increase the light pool and my sense of visual security. (See photo above.) Figuratively, I started to wonder about the definition of light as I’ve perceived it most of my life. I’m still working on the figurative angle, but my long-held perceptions probably come from religious/spiritual influences via my teachers’ and parents’ lessons on morals and values.
To my way of thinking, if I see the light, that’s a good thing. It means I know which path to take. I’m aware that I can cast a good or a bad light on any situation/person/group. Whether I’m writing a post for my blog or figuring out what to say to someone who has stepped on my toes, if I have a little niggle in my gut that makes me wonder whether I’m doing/writing/saying the right thing, my answer is no. If I don’t want it done to me, I shouldn’t do it to someone else. I think of that as using my light in a positive way.
(Deep breath.) I started this blog as a recently divorced and jilted woman. Did I always practice what I said in the paragraph above? No, I did not. My excuse, if I’m allowed one, is that the pain was unbearable. I wanted them to hurt as much as I did. I’m healing now and I’m doing better. At least I think I am. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop telling the truth as I see it, but I would prefer not to strike out and hurt anyone else. That’s not who I am.
(Another deep breath.) A final note about casting a bad light on others. Recently, my ten-year-old grandson told me, “Some people are prejudiced.” I agreed. We discussed it and I could see that he understood the concept. If your humor or entertainment consists of denigrating others, my boy would call that prejudice. Have a nice day.