Katy Perry sings Baby you’re a firework, and I think it’s true. Sometimes each of us makes a glorious splash of color against the sky, lighting up the world with our beauty and brilliance. Other days feel like we are spinning furiously, going nowhere, sending off sparks in all directions that alarm those closest to us. Neither kind of day lasts forever.
What sort of light will you put forth today?
The lotus flower is important in Chinese mythology as the symbol of something pure and beautiful that grows up from the muck. It is a reminder that each of us can transcend our circumstances. But remember, the lotus never leaves the muck behind – the unattractive mess at the bottom of the pond is what nourishes the plant throughout its life.
What messy parts of your life continue to nourish you?
Wouldn’t it be great to have superpowers that would send bolts of lightning from your fingers whenever you wished? And yet, whenever we reach out a hand to another, whenever we join hands to work together, an energy is created that changes the world. That superpower belongs to us all.
Who will you reach out a hand to today?
It’s hard to feel like the things we do make a difference. The dishes I wash will be dirty again in a moment, a single call or letter to a legislator has little impact, and more often than not the words of wisdom I impart on my child have no effect at all. Sometimes it helps to take the long view—the really long view—and remember that the Grand Canyon was carved by water and wind one grain of sand (or boulder) at a time.
How do you see that you have shaped the world when you take the long view?
When was the last time someone held your hand to cross the street? I suppose there really is no magic safety that incurs from holding a parent’s hand through a crosswalk—cars can, and do, crash into parents as well as children. But who wouldn’t want to invoke that small magic? Don’t we all want to feel safe holding the hand of someone we love?
Who can make you feel safe, simply by the touch of their hand?
