These are the people who make the planet rotate
They have a skip in their step, a twinkle in their eye, and a following of pixie dust like a comet.
There are certain people who walk the same ground as we do yet seem to be elevated if only the slightest bit.
You know that saying “light up a room”? Maybe it’s not a saying. Maybe it should be. They walk in and it’s as if the dimmer switch just went up a notch. Things just got a little brighter.
People’s heads turn. They are attracted like a moth to a lightbulb. They want to just be near them in hopes that some of that magnetism, that luminescence rubs off on them. Maybe just a few specks might rub onto our own elbows if we get near them.
Meta Note: I have a daily meditation practice. Ooh, “practice” is a good word because it’s not perfect, I just do it. During those 23 minutes, stuff like this come out.
— Bradley
This morning, after I stood up, I thought,
“If you could experience what I experience most every morning, you wouldn’t miss a morning of practice either.”
They say nice things to people. They uplift them. They notice, they care, they take action.
It’s not rocket science. You don’t need a Ph.D to recognize them. It’s just a type of person.
I don’t know if they’re born with it or learned it along the way. I venture to guess it’s a bit of both.
I don’t want to attribute a value or say that one person’s life is worth more than another’s but this person is a positive influence on society at large. Without these people, other people, more people, lots of people, would be less good for it.
Those other people aren’t necessarily jealous of this person, they’re just happy, relieved, and thankful they know her.
Here’s the Best Part
You might think it’s tiring to be this kind of person. That light bulb that’s always illuminated takes energy, doesn’t it? It has to dim or even turn off sometimes, right? Sure. Of course.
But the energy that powers that glow comes exactly from doing this.
It’s as if the light bulb were powered by solar power yet the light bulb is a conduit to transfer the warmth or light or whatever needs to be transformed from a simple light source (say, the sun) into what needs to be distributed: love, cheer, conversation.
The sun can’t do that.
But she can.
What is that energy that powers her then?
It’s the other people.
Although it might seem like she’s always giving and offering and transmitting, she’s silently and not-so-secretly taking it all in, too.
It’s a recycling plant that benefits anyone within arm’s reach.
Just like those moths who can’t get enough.
They keep coming back because it feels good to be near the source. They need the light, the warmth, dare I say, the voltage of the thrill of being alive.
These are the people we need in our world.
If you’re lucky enough to know one or be one, you know what I mean.
I know what I’m talking about because I know one very well. She’s a part of my life and brightens my day and those around her on a regular basis.
She’s a source of strength, joy, and love for any who might sit next to her, talk with her, even just know her.
Even if you don’t yet know her, she might say something or do something or just be something that will change you.
If ever so slightly.
Change you for the better.
You might not notice it later when you’re home and you think to yourself:
“Something or someone happened to me today and it elevated me.”
You know those people.
You have them in your life. You usually know who they are–but not always.
Hold onto them. Find them. Seek them out. Become one of them.
Feed their energy source by being with them. It doesn’t work alone. It can’t exist in a vacuum.
Let them help you. Allow them to lift you up. You elevate them when you do.
They elevate you when you allow them to.
I know this from experience. I strive to be such a person but I learn from the more experienced ones, those who do it naturally, from her whom I admire and love.
It might be someone who has done this or been this way your entire life yet there are moments, usually when you’re just a little bit older, when you finally get it, you see it, you understand it for what it is and realize it’s been happening all of this time and you are all the better for it.
It’s not that I just realized it but I have to admit that writing these words solidifies it for me.
Who is that person for you?
Acknowledge them, allow them to lift you up, then turn and be that person for someone else.
I speak from experience of rising up but also from not quite understanding who it was or what she was doing.
It’s been a while. Quite a long while.
But I’ve finally figure it out.
I’m lucky.
I’m lucky because, for me, this person is my mom.
