I wrote a post in late October titled, Low. It told of a sad handwritten letter that I discovered tucked behind a telephone poll at the cross section of Hall-Johnson and Parr, in Grapevine Texas. Many readers shared their feelings about the letter in our Comment Section, but one reader in particular (artnme1556) made a great suggestion. He said, "Write back a letter of hope."
Months have passed, but the sense of responsibilty to respond has not. Finally yesterday, I took time to write a note of hope that I believe can counter the sense of hopelessness felt by that teenage girl from three months ago.
I am sharing my note with you, because the collective energy of this group is what compelled me to reply.
One one side:
"A few months ago I found a 14-page handwritten letter in the exact spot that you have found this note. The letter was written by a teenage girl and it was filled with sadness, hopelessness, and self-loathing. For weeks afterwards the idea of the letter and its contents made me sad. Someone with whom I shared the story suggested that I replace the heaviness I was feeling with a message of hope and that I place the note in the very same spot. I trust YOU found it for a reason."
On the other side:
"You Shine! You were uniquely created and placed on this earth to make a contribution that you and only you can make. Half the fun is figuring out what that contribution is and the other half is doing it. Go out and fill the universe with your magic."
Tune in Monday to read about an "aha" I had along the way. But, for today let's just smile and enjoy the inspired deed we did. And maybe daydream about how our single act will, in turn, create a ripple effect that works its way through the universe.
Happy Friday.
Shining off until Monday when I share my "aha".
I spent part of Tuesday with a young woman who knows of my passion for spreading Shine.
While driving in the car she shared that I inspired her to start a game with her friend.
They use their iphones to email one another pictures of yellow things.
That morning she emailed her friend a picture of her yellow cereal box
Her friend replied by emailing back a picture of the sun.
She and her friend get it. They understand that to power the planet with Shine each and every one of us must find a way to tell the Shine Story.
Photographs
Acts of kindness
Excellence at our work
A conference or party theme
Paying a compliment
A yellow envelope
Turning someone on to our site or just...
Sharing our vision for a planet powered by Shine.
There are countless ways to turn our simple little website into a movement that stretches well beyond the virtual walls of this website.
For two young girls, tucked away in their corner of Texas, it started with a photograph.
How about you?
Just as January 1 always means the start of a new calendar year, the 18th of each month always means revisiting our favorite House of Shine ritual.
Highlowaha.
Rules of play are simple.
Visit our Comment Section and share three simple things: the best thing(s) that happened to you in the past month (high); the worst thing(s) that happened to you in the last month (low); and something(s) you have learned in the past month (aha).
I'll start.
High: Christmas season through the eyes of my 4-year old and 7-year old; sunshine in Key Largo; visiting with friends; house guests; Sweet Cereal Day; naming my year the Year of Peace; and spreading lots of shine.
Low: Finding time to squeeze in work.
Aha: I read something the other day that described people who were born as snakes, under the Chinese Zodiac, as: (1) people who liked working alone and (2) people who would enjoy being teachers, writers, or philosophers. I don't know how true all that zodiac stuff is, but it perfectly describes what I daydream about.
Your turn.