A Splash Of Light At The End Of The Bridge...

Hi.

These ramblings are going up a bit early this week. 

The reason isn't a fun one. It's to attend the memorial of an awesome man who just happened to be the Dad of my dearest friend on the planet.

It will be a celebration of his life. A life brought to an abrupt end by Covid. A life that was full of a ton of love, joy, friendships, a fair amount of mischief, a lot of laughs, and its share of heartaches.

I look so forward to seeing my friend for the first time in over a year, I just wish it was under happier circumstances. 

Next time. Ooooooo and there will be many next times.

**************************************************

Light falls in odd places. Sometimes in places we least expect.

There are times when the hard things seem like the only things. It seems that the joyful, happy things, the good things, get outnumbered, overshadowed, out-sized. It can be easy to become overwhelmed.

No matter how things seem to be falling apart at different degrees, in different aspects of your life, in different parts of the world, for different reasons, it's important to continue to remind ourselves that the hard things are never the only things.

There is always a glimmer of joy. A splash of light at the end of the bridge. It's important to remind ourselves that everything is a bridge, life has no dead ends. There is always a way, around, under, over, or through. You are 100 percent going to get bumped, bruised, and scarred up along the way, but that won't be all of it. You will have belly laughs, people to love, incredible surprises, and moments of unimaginable joy. 

Be greedy. Accumulate as many of the glimmers, splashes, and moments as you can. Create them where you are able, accept and appreciate the ones that fall in your lap. 

If this past year or so has taught us anything, it's not to waste our time on this spinning marble we call home.

Spend your precious time on things that really matter to you, with people who really matter to you, in places that really matter to you.

We all need to make a living. That's a given. But, making your living isn't your life. Better yet, find the thing that lights you up and do your level best to make your living doing that, at least part of it. 

Wait tables between gigs. Clean toilets, while creating and selling your hand-crafted jewelry. Work an assembly line while providing after-school programs for at-risk kids. Work retail while writing your book. Flip burgers while you paint your masterpiece.

Make the jewelry, create the cake, sing the song, do the play, write the book, bring the joy, be open to the unexpected splashes of light. 

The hard things are never the only things. 

***************************************************

May we find joy, create joy, hoard it, spread it, accept it, build it into our every day.

May we embrace it, hold it, nurture it, bring it in, give it a home, let it stay. 

May we see that the hard things are never the only things, just a fraction of the whole.

May we allow ourselves to sing the song, dance the dance, write the book, do what feeds our soul.

May we all find our splashes of light, in whatever form they take.

May we find a kinder way to live, our humanity is what's at stake.

****************************************************