Stay in your light.

A few weeks ago, my hubby and I were out and about for a Sunday afternoon drive. It was a beautiful winter day. A perfect winter day by any standard – freshly fallen snow, the temperature hovering around 0, clear blue sky, a light breeze. We decided to drop into a local cafe to relax and enjoy a latte. The cafe was bustling with people. Cafes attract all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons. It’s one of the many reasons I enjoy just hanging out in a local cafe. Many, like us, are just out to enjoy a hot beverage and culinary treat.

This cafe is popular. Its open and inviting atmosphere attracts people of all ages and backgrounds. I love being in a place where diversity thrives and I hear multiple languages spoken. And this cafe never disappoints.

I enjoy this time with my husband. We just sit together. No electronic distractions between us. We simply sit, enjoy our lattes, and talk. And people watch.

I love to people watch. Human behaviour fascinates me. I can’t help myself. I observe. Watching a person at the precise moment a smile crosses their face. They are alone, and nothing around them has changed. This reaction is solely a result of something internal. A thought. A memory. A sentence they just read in a book.

Whatever it was, it was worthy of a smile.

Or when someone’s laughter fills the room. Spontaneous, robust laughter.

Or a group of students excitedly exchanging ideas for a school project. Laptops open. Tables full of coffee mugs, water bottles, half-eaten muffins.

A couple’s first date.

A couple’s last date.

Our humanity is on full display in a cafe.

While enjoying our lattes, and a bonus peanut butter brownie, I overheard a guy sitting at the table near us. He and a girl were together, sitting opposite each other. A small table between them, situated perfectly next to one of the large picture windows. A coveted spot in this cafe, as it overlooks the Bedford Basin.

What the guy said surprised me. His words were in contrast to what I – and I’m sure many others – were thinking at this moment, with this view. “It’s so ugly here. Everything is just grey and boring. It’s just trees.”

His words hit me like a jolt and a flood of emotion washed over me. I was shocked. How can he look out the window and see only ugliness?

Then his companion spoke. “I think it’s beautiful. Look at the snow on the trees. The water. It’s beautiful”

Same window. Same view.

Two completely different perspectives. Two completely different opinions.

Two opposing point of views. Contrasting; Ugly – Beautiful. Dark – Light.

The two fell silent for a while. My attention was on them now – wondering how this was going to play out. What she did next, made me smile. She leaned toward the window, took her phone out, and started to take pictures of the view outside.

He responded with, “It’s a waste of your phone storage.”

And then she did something that made me smile extra wide.

She kept taking pictures. Click. Click. Click. She ignored his negative comments, and just kept on taking pictures. Click. Click. Click. To her heart’s content. She even paused to admired her images and took some more from a different angle.

When she was done, she admired her shots. Passed her phone to him, and enthusiastically said, “See. It’s beautiful.”

His scowl remained.

But his darkness didn’t dim her light.

She choose to see the beauty.

She didn’t give in to the negativity sitting across from her.

She didn’t expend her time or direct her attention to change. Or fix. Or mend.

She didn’t let negative critique steal her joy. Steal her gratitude.

She stayed in her light.

This is just one example. But there are endless examples of situations or people that do not deserve our time, energy, and attention. When those situations, people, or circumstances find us, we can choose to stay in our light. We can choose to not let the darkness take hold.

It’s easy to get drawn into negativity when our instinct is to fix what is broken. To mend the fracture.

But not everything deserves our attention.

And not everyone deserves our time or energy.

Protect your Joy.

Stay in your light.

With gratitude,