Glimmers!

Y'all have heard of this concept of "glimmers," right? Honestly, it's kind-of new to me. (Have I been living under a rock?) Apparently, they've been around since 2018, (well, they've always been around, but the term was coined then, and the concept widely adopted.) They're the opposite of triggers. They're small moments that spark joy, which can help cue our nervous system to feel safe or calm. Experts say this mindset shift can make a positive impact on our mental health. The whole point of them is that they're tiny, micro moments of peace, instead of large, delight-filled productions. Because sometimes finding your bliss can be daunting. There are days when it's hard to be happy.

But if you train your brain to notice the mini moments; the beauty of the stars on a clear night, the position of your head as you bite into a taco, the way your kids have started to chase bunnies out of the garden beds to please your husband, the moment when you can't turn the car off until that awesome song finishes playing... (You catch my drift.) Once you start to notice them, it begets even more noticing... And if you really want to challenge yourself, you can try to make a point of not just noticing them, but remembering them throughout the day to record in a journal when you get home, and watch as your progress grows. Watch as your happiness, your observation skills, and your ability to slow down and smell the roses, grows.

It reminds me of this book, "14,000 Things To Be Happy About ," that I LOVED in middle school. It was a poster on some teacher's wall, (I'm sure it only included, like, 50 of the reasons) but I used to stand at the sharpener, grinding my pencil down to a nub, while I gazed at the list, utterly enchanted by this idea of "glimmers" before glimmers were even a thing. My sweet and observant friend, Sommers, saw me loving on this list, and went ahead and bought me the ENTIRE BOOK for my 13th birthday. Which, I'll admit, I never quite made it all the way through, because I was meticulously reading every single page, and underlining all of my favorites with my handy, dandy, pink highlighter.

It felt important for me to include pink "frosting and sprinkles" as part of my pink project (aka "glimmers.") Because religion and spirituality and the road to enlightenment can be HEAVY topics. So I wanted to make sure I was having a lot of fun along the way (hence why I'm writing this blog- to keep it light, and keep it entertaining!) Plus Dorothy has built that into our projects as well. June is the "what will make me come alive?" challenge. In which all of our decisions are made to answer that question- not what's practical, not what's expected, not what others will think. Consider the following, under the guise of- "what will make me come alive?"

What to wear that makes you feel stunning, what to eat that nourishes and delights you, how to spend your lunch break, which route to take home, what music to play in your car, how to decorate your space, weekend plans that light you up, social invitations to accept or decline, how to spend your free time, conversations to have or avoid, boundaries to set, new experiences to try, career moves you've been contemplating, relationship choices, living situation changes, financial investments in yourself, and big dreams you've been postponing.

Get back to me when you've made a choice in June that has "made you come alive!" I want to hear all about it. I know for me- there have been some decisions as small as making myself a beautiful omelet for breakfast for a change. And then there are some decisions get slightly larger- like, "you know what? I'm actually going to exercise some boundaries and say NO to that"- (which is something that I REALLY struggle with.) So go ahead- I give you permission to think about what aligns with YOU this month.