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Looking for Glimmers

I recently read an article about looking for glimmers, which struck something
of a chord. In a world where there seems to be more and more anxiety,
where the word ‘triggering’ has become common, the idea of an antidote, of
consciously looking for and recognising those small moments of joy, appealed.

For many of us now, for example, the news has become so traumatic to
watch that even the theme tune on the TV triggers anxiety. It can be easy to
believe, in the face of so much reported conflict, cruelty and natural disaster,
that the world is a hostile place where we have no hope. The idea of
‘glimmers’ is that, instead of focusing on these huge issues that make us feel
overwhelmed and helpless, we actively notice those small moments that
make us feel relaxed and happy and feel that the world is ok, even briefly.

These glimmers can be found in different places and different senses – it
could be the smell of your first morning coffee, a stranger smiling as you pass
in the street, the sight of the spring flowers appearing in the garden, a telephone call from a loved one, or your dog’s obvious pleasure at your return.
Anything that makes you smile, makes you grateful, or brings you joy or
peace, even for a short time.

Learning to notice and recognise these things helps to bring a shift in our
thinking and see the positives – the more we practice actively looking for the
good the more we find, and the negativity lessens. God never intended us to
live in fear. We don’t need to feel guilty for having good things in our lives and
appreciating them.

This isn’t to say that we abdicate responsibility for the serious issues around
us, but we can learn to concentrate on what we can do rather than what we
can’t. We can pray and know that we are heard. We can’t end world poverty
but we can donate to our local foodbank, we can hope for a society that
doesn’t need charity but , in the meantime, we can give help where we can.
We can be kind and hospitable to strangers, we can help the climate by reducing, reusing and recycling, and by planting gardens hospitable to nature.

All of these are positive steps we can take that help us to feel that we have
some agency, and are in line with our calling as Christians. I’m sure that
you can think of many more examples.

In the face of recent personal challenges I have been trying to put this into
practice, to not concentrate solely on the difficulties in life but to notice the
small things that I’m grateful for each day, those times when things go
right, that bring a smile or a sense of satisfaction – finding I have the right
number of right-sized buttons that go perfectly with the shirt I’ve just finished, having a bird I’ve wanted to see fly in front of the hide when I have
my camera ready – and it has made a difference. I’m also reminding myself
to not only see these things, but to say a little thank you to God when I do.

So, whether you call it looking for glimmers, or mindfulness, or anything
else, can I encourage you to give it a try? See how many good things happen in your day when you look for them, and I’d love to hear them if you
want to share.

Sue H