Things can get pretty dark sometimes.
We all need a little light in our lives. This isn’t hyperbole – whether it is directly on us, for sight to spot danger, for our skin to create vitamin D, or if it is indirect – feeding the plants that we eat and warming our world. Without light, there is no life. I’ve been a big believer in looking up above, in looking for something greater than ourselves, and one thing about the infinite expanse above us? There is always light.
During the day, it is the sun. At night it could be the moon, the stars, an aurora… Even a little lantern hanging from a balloon, carrying a child’s wish to the heavens. However, even though there is always light above, that doesn’t mean we can always see it. Sometimes, something just gets in the way. Maybe it is something solid – a jungle canopy, the top of a cave, the ceiling of your -parent’s basement if you’re a sick fuck watching voyeuristic videos of someone else’s violation whilst crywanking your lil centimetre peter. Yeah, fuck you.
It could even a big top. That red and white plastic, designed to keep the rain off your head and the outside from your sight. With all the curiosities and distractions in front of you… Why, you may even forget the sky exists for a while. You may forget about that light, you can’t draw your eyes away from the dirt the performers stand on. Even when you leave, your eyes may be trained to look to the ground, not what’s above… And thus the sky is forgotten.
Sometimes, that obstacle isn’t quite so tangible… On an overcast day, maybe there is a layer of cloud dulling that light, like a wall muffling sound. Maybe it is a little lower and the fog in your face doesn’t even let you see what is on front of you. Sometimes, it may be something man-made; smoke, pollution, chemical weapons if you really want to go to extremes. Maybe you see less of the light, maybe none at all, but take heart – The light is still there.
The light of the day is needed for life, but the stars in the sky, the moon on high, auroras, meteor showers… That light may not feed the plants, it may not feed our stomachs, but it feeds our spirits. More wondrous than a freak show, it gives us something to hope for, to look forward to, to mark our calendars and stay up all night, and we can talk and smile and daydream about it the next day.
When or where the sunshine cannot reach us, we learn to make do – lights, lamps, candles… They may not be enough to nourish us, but they let us see, they keep us safe. So where do we get that light for the soul? From the kind and the humble. Some of us are already there, pure sunshine to those around them, an intoxicating light that makes your heart sing.
Me? I’m working on it. Things can get pretty dark sometimes.