I have a young friend who is an aspiring poet - a thirteen year old friend
Lately we have exchanged a few emails, one of which was me sharing the video clip below.
She replied by observing:
"She (Sarah Kay) often said that she wrote poetry to help her figure things out. I realized quite a long time ago that I use my poetry to speak about truths left unnoticed and about the sorrows that surround us."
Impressed by the introspection of this young woman, I stopped for a moment and thought about why I write. Here was my reply:
"We balance each other out nicely. I write my posts at the House of Shine because I think, amidst all the heavy and tragic news presented to us each day, that there are good things going unnoticed. I write because I want to shed light on all the good and generous people in the world. You write because you don’t want us to bury our head in the sand and ignore all the people in need. You are the yin to my yang. I think it makes for a nice combination."
I am struck by the fact that there is plenty of room for the contributions of anyone in the world who wants to shine. The key is figuring out what your Shine is and why it's important to you.
Then, in the words of Sarah Kay following these three steps:
First, saying, "I can do this."
Second, deciding, "I will continue."
And third, committing to, "infuse the work you are doing with the specific things that make you you."
Shining off until...