Shine a light
I bent down to inspect the little green plants sprouting at the base of an old maple tree just as the sun peeked out from an overcast sky. Just that little spot of green decided to shine a light, just for me. Ollie looked up when I yelped.
An old Wolf Parade song I used to love flashed in my mind, and I bopped my head this way and that as Ollie and I walked through the clearing. It’s not a happy song, “Shine a Light,” but I only ever knew the lyrics years later. I am terrible at discerning song lyrics, and I never look the up, because I don’t want to be disappointed.
The band did a reunion tour just as all this started, and I had tickets to see Wolf Parade at a club in Boston, about ten days before I locked the door on my Beforelife.
I thought of all those bodies in a crowded room lit only by a stage, and I stayed home. Others must have made the same choice, because they streamed the show. I watched “Shine a Light” in my dark living room, relieved to be safe but angry that I had to squirrel myself away.
My Afterlife had begun. I just didn’t know it yet.
Case counts mount again now, war, eroding democracy, racist shootings. I take long walks and smell the flowers. I walk toward the light, desperate for moments of joy and peace.
Of catching tiny stages lit just for me. Light and joy to sustain me as I walk again toward Life and all its messy entanglements.
This little light of mine.
Gallery: Shine a Light
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Catch all the Sundry Wonders posts, and let me know what you experienced on your walks in the comments!
