Glimmers
I’ve been reading a lot about “glimmers” these last days of summer. I think of them as the opposite of “dimmers” which are those negative thoughts which sometimes occur at the changing of the seasons. An example of a dimmer might be worrying about the snow and the cold. Some dimmers are good because they help us prepare, like stocking the cupboard with soup, etc. But too many dimmers can bring on anxiety and depression. The antidote is glimmers.
Glimmers are not just thoughts but also little flights of fancy that one observes in daily living. Here I will tell you about driving past an old cemetery where I saw three little girls turn a cartwheel in unison just as a beam of sunlight shot over them. A glimmer to be sure, and a gift to my peace of mind on a harried day.
Glimmers can also be snippets of things you read, a long-forgotten poem that calls to mind a happy school day or time of life before things were lost and changed. Maybe a glimmer is a piece of beauty (like my cartwheel girls) that you serendipitously encounter. Or what if we seek out glimmers with purpose and don’t just wait for them to happen?
I have always been a staunch believer in “Get the body moving and the mind will follow”. It worked for me in many situations that would have put a better person on the sofa for a week. When we take steps to keep moving forward our brains will tag along for better days too. I must believe the spotting of glimmers can change our brain chemistry.
Today my glimmers are listening to lovely music. I created a special playlist on my Alexa App called “Inspiring”. I trust these melodies to glimmer-out my mood as needed. Beautiful books that sit on my coffee table and environs are picked up as I wait for the tea kettle or for dinner to cook. The graceful sound of turning pages is a glimmer in itself. As always, visiting museums or even just the local library sheds glimmers and changes us. With these moments we see our higher selves and they remind us who we are always aspiring to be. Glimmers take us closer to our ideals.
Sometimes we stumble upon images that are glimmers…the perfect fall sweater, an ancient beauty staring back at us in an art book, a vision of a country bouquet in the hands of a child. Or our glimmers can come from being with a friend in whose eyes we see our true essence reflected back. Glimmers abound in those moments.
Late-summer is a wonderful time to start a quest for glimmers. The plaintive plainsong from my device reminds me that the light will come back as it yet fills me with hope for cold days ahead. And maybe that sublime fall sweater will spawn a knitting project to keep hands busy on longer nights.
Glimmering is not Pollyanna-ing; not at all. In glimmering, we glimpse the divine.
10 Comments
Erina
I love this post Donna! It made me think right away of a favorite quote by Ingrid Goff-Maidoff:
“God spoke today in flowers, and I, who was waiting on words, almost missed the conversation.”
Erina xo
Dana
Glimmers- what a fabulous word and an uplifting post! I sometimes play this game when insomnia strikes; I close my eyes and think of these brief joyful moments to calm my racing mind. The cardinal that visits my balcony railing every morning, the elderly couple snuggling on park bench during my morning walk, the pinkish orange hue of the sunset over the river. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your writing and thoughts with us. Always thought-provoking and heartwarming.
A Lovely Inconsequence
I LOVE your glimmers!
Tracy
I am enjoying the word glimmer because it captures the fleeting nature of the event.
Just a small wink, a flash.
Amazing how, sometimes, its gift of joy surpasses so much of the things that are “supposed”
to give us happiness.
A Lovely Inconsequence
Yes! My daughter cannot remember when I took her to NYC to see the Rockettes but she remembers all the ordinary days I have forgotten!
Beth M.
I agree with Karen:this post definitely counts as a glimmer, and what a lovely concept it is! Some of mine include the gardens I admire on walks, overheard snippets of conversations drifting through back alleys on sunny afternoons, leaf patterns on the sidewalk in the dark, and watching the affection between my pets. I’m keeping my eyes peeled!
A Lovely Inconsequence
Beth, I just love your glimmers!
Barbara Ann
Glimmers…now I have a name for how the green leaves on a tree sparkle after a rain…how a butterfly dips and floats thru my backyard…how my cat curls up in ball while sleeping. I love you shared “glimmers” with us. I’ll be on thwe lookout for more.
A Lovely Inconsequence
Yes, glimmers are everywhere…
Karen Marline
What a perfectly lovely insight! I’m going to start looking for glimmers in my day! And, of course, this post is one of them. I love how you say they are glimpses of the divine, because they really are. Like you, I believe God places these small moments of refreshment and uplift in our path, sprinkling them very liberally. But it’s up to us to be on the lookout for them and appreciate them and be grateful for them when we find them. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful idea with us!