I didn't want to twinkle, at least that's what I kept telling myself when this One Little Word kept cropping up. "What a ridiculous word!" So I went off in search of a new word.
In October I registered for Brene Brown's class at Oprah.com and I was slammed with this (okay, not slammed, you get the point):
While I had seen the quote before, it had never resonated with me the way it did in October. That's it, I decided, 2014 will be the year I twinkle. And then life got in the way and I felt less like twinkling than ever. Everything seemed to be pushing me towards something more "meaningful", serious. I thought to myself, can't I find a grown-up word? Perhaps a word to help me "survive" the school year and the pressure that I was feeling. I even tried a few words on for size, took them for a spin around the block...that just didn't work.
I went off in search of a new word. I was searching very diligently. Finally, when we were away in Bethlehem right before Christmas I came across this:
I started thinking, maybe there was something to this "twinkle" stuff. Once home I started perusing some interesting multimedia art, still not convinced that "twinkle" was my word, this appeared"
But, it was two weeks till Christmas and I had things to do. My word would wait. Or so I thought.
Christmas morning, as I was sitting with my son, he turned to me and said, "What's wrong?"
Well, it was Christmas morning and there was absolutely nothing wrong. Then Jess piped up, "Yeah, you have that look." What look? Why was the fact that I was truly happy and joyful not being expressed in my outward demeanor?
I assured them that I was extremely happy, sincerely and we went on with our celebration. A wonderful celebration and truly an opportunity to enjoy each other's company and time to just "be" together. When it came time to open gifts, my husband handed me a package which revealed this...
I can't deny it, this year I was meant to twinkle. For me I think that it means I am meant to exude a light from within, allowing those around me to shine. It means to celebrate those ordinary moments that just allow our hearts to burst with happiness. It means that I will embrace the dark so that I can experience the light. It means that when my children, or anyone else for that matter, happens to glance my way that they won't need to worry that something is wrong. They will see the absolute joy that I experience in the everyday and the light I embrace.
I am looking forward to 2014, Ali Edward's One Little Word class and the opportunity to see what it really means to "twinkle."
Yup, 2014, the year of the "twinkle!"
