Today I am grateful for shadows. I’m a sucker for interesting lighting because of the amazing shadows that are cast. Driving early in the morning or late at night, I’ll often say to my husband, “Oh my God! Look at the lighting through the trees! Look at the shadows!” The world is more interesting when it has greater contrast. That’s why we are all necessary.
Any artist will tell you that sculpting and painting are as much about the shadows as they are about the subject. Museums place items in certain locations based on the light that will hit them at various times of day, or they direct light very carefully to create shadows to enhance.
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Little kids get a big kick out of their shadow. I can remember when mine saw theirs for the first time and how soon they switched to shadow hand-puppets on the walls. It didn’t take long for them to go R-rated with those, but that was fun, too, even though I had to pretend it wasn’t.
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When Peter Pan lost his shadow and Tinkerbell sewed it back on I was a blubbering mess. To lose your shadow is to lose part of yourself. If there is no shadow, that means there is no light, no contrast. The greater the light. . .the greater the shadow. When the sun is in your eyes, blinding you, spin around and look at your shadow, long and strong, practically holding you up.
Light shines so brightly on some people, that for whatever reason, we find ourselves following behind them, shadowed by their brightness. Why? Don’t we deserve to have our own bright light? Our own dreams? Our own goals? Of course, we do. No dream is silly because it’s yours. Dreams are as individual as fingerprints. . .or shadows.
So today I encourage you to walk in your own light. Make your own shadow. Dream your own dreams, set your own goals, do what you know you want to do. This is often difficult if you are mocked or disheartened by others, but you can’t let them stop you. Even if you know they care about you, they don’t have the right.
If you feel safer keeping your dreams a secret between you and your shadow for a while, that’s okay. If you’re following your dream, eventually your light will shine so brightly and your shadow will grow so long that you won’t be able to hide either.
I will be happy to stand in the sun with you and see where our shadows will take us.
