3 minute read
Light Up Your Life by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
Light Up the Days
By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS
Iremember people who smoked used to say, “Light me up.” They needed a jumpstart. By the way, do they still say that? Not too many people around here who still smoke.
I recall people saying, she or he “lights up the room” expressing that someone creates a dynamic energy source, when they enter.
Do you notice that when people carry a heavy load, literally or emotionally, they say, “I just need things to be a little lighter”?
When people enter a dark place, they usually say, “We need light.”
When people have an epiphany, they often exclaim, “I see the light!”
And, when people feel love for another person, they share that “they light up my life.”
Isn’t it true that in darkness one tiny light is never missed? Yet, in broad daylight, we miss many!
On Chanukah, we light the Chanukah candles at the first sign of darkness…
This is good advice for our lives!
To try and do that right away.
Darkness comes in many forms – a struggle, a difficult person, a challenge (expected or unexpected) – yet, our goto should be immediately to find or create a light to guide us .
It will give us that jumpstart that we need. That energy source to get through and see a path even in the darkness.
And even more so, it will help light our way through the difficulty!
But wait – how awesome is it when
we are able to, or attempt to, stretch and notice unrecognized lights even during the daylight, you know, the bright times?! In other words, to become aware of the lights around us that are often overshadowed or missed because of the brightness of other lights.
And of course, I don’t just mean literally. I mean, for example, people who may be overshadowed by other more lit-up people or blessings that may be overlooked because they are small compared to the bigger ones. For instance, registering the miracle that a light turns on, that the refrigerator works, that the house is standing when we wake up, because usually, the light of expectation overshadows it.
Chanukah focuses us on the miracle of light. How much we shine it into our whole year is up to us.
The best present we can take from Chanukah into the entire year is that we can add light to our lives. We always have that little shamash/lighter candle within our reach. However, whether we reach for it, and how much light we create with it, is up to us.
My bracha for each of us is that we turn on this electric force inside of us and use it with abandon. Of course, to access it during the challenging times when we really need it, but more importantly, to summon it during the bright times, too, so we can gain greater joy and more appreciation. To be able to tap into the flickers, and glows, and brilliance all around us.
Once we learn to make it more apparent, we are empowering ourselves to tap into a powerful electric source that can energize our lives and brighten our every day.
So, give yourself a jumpstart. And “light up the days!”
Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.
