Happy Friday, House of Shine! Cheryl here.
I loved learning the art of symbolism in Coach Wagner's ninth grade English class when we read The Great Gatsby. That moment of learning has stayed with me all these years. Since Yellow is our theme this month I decided to revisit symbolism and what yellow symbolizes.
Yellow has been associated with being cowardly and also as caution. You have the yellow caution light and the caution flag in car racing. When yellow is combined with black it is signaling you as a warning. If over used, yellow can cause anger and more babies cry when put in a yellow room. That's the bad news.
Now that we have acknowledge the not so happy things about the color yellow, let's accept them and move on to happier times because the color yellow is also known as the happiest color. It signifies joy, intellect and energy along with happiness. It is known to spark creative thoughts, speed the metabolism, and encourage communication. It is an attention grabber- hello, taxi cabs. And it enhances concentration- ah, yellow legal pads anyone?
We will always have good and bad, right? Just as we all have some good and bad in all of us. Let me explain why I am sharing this with you.
I'm here at House of Shine five days a week supporting and encouraging everyone to be their best, to do their best, to believe in themselves and others. Go forth and Shine! Our choice of color supports our energy to spread shine and encourage communication.
But, let's discuss yellow representing cowardice.
Lately, my actions towards certain acquaintances have not supported our principles of Shine. I have not been completely unkind to these persons in front of them but I have been down right rude about them behind their back. And that is not who I want to be. I was being cowardly by not showing kindness to these persons and I was so self involved in what I wanted that I did not realize that not only was I being a coward, I was being a hypocrite.
Tuesday night I was having a philosophical talk with myself in my think-tank of a shower arguing that I dislike when someones actions don't support their words or core values. (Thankfully yellow does not represent insanity.) And the proverbial yellow light bulb went off over my head.
Oh! I dislike this about myself.
So the next day I took the courageious step to try and correct my attitude to support our principles of Shine. I tried a kinder approach, however cautious, with my acquaintance and though I have a bumpy road in front of me, I am aware of needing this improvement.
You can't pick and choose when you're going to Shine. You just choose to Shine.
Are there areas in your life where your actions do not support your words, values or principles? We are all works in progress. I ask you to take a look at the areas in your life where you may need improvement and then boldly (or cautiously) take steps to improve because whatever we put out into the world will return to us.
Shining off until Monday... when we will hopefully Spread Shine through the Yellow Envelope Project.
P.S. Don't forget to participate in the Send Me Some Love Contest!
What I love about Shine is that it comes in all shapes and sizes.
Yesterday, in pursuit of a cold, yellow Corona, Richard took us to North Watson Boulevard - 1/4 mile South of No Name Bridge in a little town called Big Pine Key.
From the outside it seems that nothing much could shine about this non-descript, seemingly rundown hole in the wall. A place that couldn't even manage to come up with a name.
Inside was the same:
Styrofoam plates
Roles of paper towels instead of napkins
Flimsy plastic cups with no ice
Plastic cutlery
Pizza that came served on round disks cut from plywood
and paper menus.
Except for one thing.
Thousands and thousands of dollar bills - six and seven deep - hung from every square inch of the restaurant. Each bill decorated by another proud customer, ready to tell the world that they too have "been there and done that."
Some were proclamations of love: "Just Married, Jessica and John Forever" or "Denise and Ed 45 Years of Marriage." Others were purely decorative, with checkers, stripes, and even stickers stuck to the dollar bills. Still others were inspirational bearing slogans that read things such as, "Peace," "Be Happy," and, of course, my most recent addition, "Shine Dammit!"
This small, rundown pub with admittedly good pizza, but little ambiance, and warm beer shines. Not because it emulates fancy five-star restaurants reviewed by world renowned food critics, but because this establishment isn't afraid to be itself and make its own mark.
It's amazing what's possible once you realize that Shine comes in every size and shape.
Shining off until tomorrow...
During an afternoon of shopping with women who are visiting from out of town, I was drawn to a shop with a yellow door.
I asked the friendly clerk ringing up my order, if I could look more closely at the employee name badge hanging around his neck.
Guiding Principles
Every Guest, Every Time
Focus on Today, plan for tomorrow, and prepare for the future
To think, to work with, and to expect only the best.
Foster a shared responsibility for the wellbeing of our staff, guests, business, and community.
It's m
y job to be better than the rest and that makes the day for me.
Values
Honesty, trust, integrity, respect, fun, and communication
On the way home I thought about how lucky Joe is to work at a place that not only states their Guiding Principles and Values, but that chooses those particular Guiding Principles and Values as most important to their business.
I imagine a lot of people would like to work at a shop that expects you to shine.
Here's my question about Joe. Was pleasant and hardworking Joe drawn to his job because of the store's Guiding Principles and Values or does Joe shine because of the store's Guiding Principles and Values?
Visit us in the Comment Section and tell us what you think?
Shining off until tomorrow...