I do not believe in coincidence. This morning I prepared for a staff meeting by trying to decide what I was going to wear. Deep thoughts, I know. Fitted sweater for cuteness or cozy sweatshirt for comfort. Comfort won. I LOVE message apparel and the person that gave this sweatshirt to me is such a light in my life. Truly seeming like an ordinary day, instagram thoughtfully reminded me about an experience I encountered two years ago. I used to think it was one of the worst events in my life, but now I think of it as a defining moment.
Up until that point, I viewed myself in relationships with others as easy going, chill, flexible...etc. After that point, I realized I had been hiding. I was perfectly fine being in a shadow, flying under the radar, not making waves...whatever expression you want to use as a justification for not using my voice. And here I was, the darkness had become a horrible storm. So what do we do in a storm? We search for light. I was pretty blessed that I had a support group around me who were all shining lights in my life. But the lesson I had to learn was recognizing I was a shining light too. I am beyond grateful for that experience, because it showed me not only who I was, but who I wanted to be. We are ALL called to bring good and be light for others. If we are dimming ourselves in any way, the Universe, God, Karma, WHATEVER, will give you lessons and thankfully tools to clear the darkness for yourself and set you on a path for nothing but SHINE.
It's no coincidence that one of my favorite parts of a Yoga practice is the end where we say, Namaste. One translation of this word is "the light in me sees the light in you." Read that again. The first part is FIRST for a reason.