Glimmer
/ˈɡlimər/ (noun) the exact opposite of a trigger—some kind of cue, either internal or external, that brings one back to a sense of joy or safety.
Each of us has glimmers. Some things that might be glimmers to one person are just everyday life for another person. Just about everything we see could be a glimmer for someone. I don’t like the cold, but God made winter because He knew some people would love seeing snow fall, sitting next to warm fires, building snowmen, seeing the frost on the windows, decorating sugar cookies, hanging Christmas lights, wearing sweaters, and all those little winter things that make people love winter—glimmers.
Most glimmers are completely natural, and some occur spontaneously. The changing of colors in fall, the smell of food cooking, and the stars are things that just happen. Even if you had a bad night’s sleep because you couldn’t sleep, you can still have your favorite food for breakfast. Even if you’re running late, you can still appreciate the changing colors of falling leaves. I’m not saying be overly optimistic and happy about absolutely everything. There are difficult parts of life and sometimes bad things happen to us and the people we love, but life is meant to be a beautiful experience.
We need to stop being hesitant about being happy. Some of us think, I’ll be happy when I lose weight, make x amount of money, meet the love of my life, do x, y, z, etc.. That’s not when we’ll be happy. We’ll be happy when we choose to be. That could start this year, this month, this week, today, or right now. We don’t need to wait. The glimmers are there. Life is already beautiful, we just need to see it.
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One of my glimmers is visiting home. It’s full and busy, warm, light, and full of personal glimmers. I can run with my mom, go rollerblading, and spend time with my family. Inside is a little bit like home.
Installation photography by Almira B Photography.
