A few days ago (I should really says “nights”, as that’s when it happened!) I woke up with this thought in my head and had to write it down. It’s not earth shattering, but it’s one of those reminders that we sometimes download from somewhere to clue us back in to the big picture.
Here’s what came out:
As we are in full demolition/renovation mode at our new house and doing much of the work ourselves, I have had this fairly profound feeling around the process of stripping things down to their core. As we peel away layers of ideas, style choices, carpets and floors, we are left with the bones of the home. The stuff that holds everything else in place, and together.
As wonderful as it is to embellish it, and cover it in things we love and find beautiful, it’s important to know not just what’s keeping us dry at night and what gives us a safe place to call home, but also, what is the essence of that word? What does home really mean? To me, it is the place where I can rest and just be. It is the place of family, of connection. It is the heart of our family where we can be buffered from the onslaught of the rest of the world and retreat in safety, at least for a little while. Home is also the place where we can invite others in, and share what we have to offer. It is a place of hospitality and giving of ourselves.
And so this feels just like our inner journey. I often think about what it means to see the inner truth – to see the light within myself. All these labels and all the things we do are the embellishments. They are nice, they can be of service to others, they may be fun, and so much more, but they are not us at our essence. When we strip down to our “bones” and we leave this world, it’s our spirit that matters. It’s the essence that we share universally – our generosity of spirit, our openness of heart.
My name means “light” translated from Farsi. I love it’s meaning and it is something I reflect on all the time. Years ago in high school I was in a performance of Godspell and we sang a song about being the Light of the world. It’s a bit cheesy, but take a second and read a few of the lyrics with me, if you can:
You are the light of the world!You are the light of the world!But if that light is under a bushel,Brrr, it’s lost something kind of crucialYou got to stay bright to be the light of the world
So as I hum this tune in my head, my thoughts revolve around these ideas. We need to spend time remembering who we are at our core. Not what we do, what roles we play, or names we call ourselves. Who are we really? Where is the light of our hearts? How can we let it shine? No matter how many layers we’ve placed on top of the lamp of our souls, it’s still burning. The more we can remove those layers, the brighter the light appears to others. Think of how much better we can light up the path when we are free from these labels! So as the days grow short and the nights get longer, perhaps we can all take this period of hibernation as an opportunity to dust off the internal lamp and do a little soul/light searching to get in touch with our truest self.
And just because, in the spirit of sharing, here are some ‘before’ and ‘during’ pictures of our crazy house renovation! See you on the other side!
Kitchen/Living Room reno:
Beautiful! The light that the first photo captured is magazine-stunning! And on the thought of light, I’m working on a piece where I constantly think about and see light; defracted, in layers, and the most subtle shades. Thank you for sharing this piece of writing.
I hope I get to see the piece you’re working on! Light is one of my greatest fascinations!
Yes Nura we are the light.. With so many different thing in this world and societies pressure to conform to the so called right way of living we must strive to connect with our true self.
Congratulations to you and your family on the purchase of your new home.
Ii am born in December as well and for some strange reason have felt a connection with you. The mind, the natural world around us the inner peace one seeks to achieve.
Thank you! I’m glad we can make a virtual connection!
I love these arscliet. How many words can a wordsmith smith?
That’s a skillful answer to a difilcuft question
That kind of thniking shows you’re on top of your game
So true. Honesty and everything reedonizcg.
This is crytasl clear. Thanks for taking the time!