Reflections on Light and Beg-endings...

Luz Sagrada - Barcelona, España

Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, the day with the least amount of sunlight. I'm most definitely a "light baby."  I thrive on light and warmth, and hibernate when it's dark. My favorite time of day is what I call the "golden hours," something a friend from Germany calls the "blue hour."  Either term refers to that time just before sunset when the sun is low enough to paint everything with a warmer hue - gilding the ordinary and comforting with promises of tomorrow's light to come.  

​I just got back from a life-time dream trip to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain with one of my closest friends. Our entire trip seemed bathed in light. We landed before sunrise in Madrid, but as soon as the sun came up we encountered lovely light play wherever we went. I'm trying to craft a piece about it for submission to a literary journal or two, but haven't yet figured out how to capture it.  One thing that most certainly came from the trip, other than a desire to move to Spain, was the discovery of an inspirational architect - Gaudi. Gaudi's whole modus operandi was to create space for light to shine on all, especially light from Heaven. His cathedral La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is unlike anything I've ever experienced.  If you ever find yourself in Barcelona - take the time to visit with an audio guide or tour guide,  and walk through the museum as well. Everything about the cathedral speaks to a love affair with light! His installations in Park Guell similarly play with light and shadow around every corner. 

Writing and journaling for me is a way of exploring ideas and exposing things to the light. I have a tendency to get caught up in my head, with thoughts running amok, dragging me into chaos and sometimes darkness if I'm not careful. ​Writing helps to channel those thoughts, and corral them into some semblance of significance, or at least some labyrinth that I can puzzle out. When we shine light on something, we can more clearly see the details and decorations in order to separate key things from clutter. In this time of year especially, I find it's helpful to write with a dual-focus. Look backward and capture honestly your year in review, but also take time to vision forward - writing for what you hope, dream, or need to come in the weeks  and months ahead. You can do this for your life as a whole, or separate out the different areas of your life and see what has been and what could be. 

I'm always surprised by how quickly the time goes each year. I know it doesn't really change speed, but it often feels as though it does.  Due to being on break from my day job, I had some time to revisit Chinook's year just past recently. In review, I found that I've learned a lot as a beginning entrepreneur, tried many new things, and am refining what directions to take this in. One project on the horizon is an email course with binderful.com. Check out their website for some other great courses to break up status quo while we're waiting! 

While I love, the idea of blog as medium because it allows for more to be shared, it also feels sometimes like sending things out into the void.  If you are reading this, I'd love to hear from you - what would you like to see from Chinook in 2019?  

On this shortest day of the year, play with light in your own life - what does it look like? Where have you seen it and where do you want to see it more? Do a 5-minute write on each, then look back at them to see what you notice. Have fun and enjoy the Christmas and holiday season. Don't forget to breathe and take time for you - even 5 minutes a day can help maintain sanity.  Be blessed - and shine! 

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