With seasons changing, summer into fall, and darker weather casting shadows over what was once a bright August sky, I am almost instantly reminded of the effect the murky wet grey has over my body and mind. Like a ton of bricks, the weight of a dull morning sky can weigh on my eyelids as heavy as it weighs on my motivation.

I know I am not alone here. Funny how this annual shift comes when I so desperately need inspiration most (my livelihood literally depends on it). Now, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change my career choices for the world, and I am well aware that no matter how powerful, persistent, and persuasive I may be, the chances of changing Mother Nature’s plans to work around my schedule are pretty slim.

Slim chances or not, I am left to think about the power residing in such darkness, both figuratively and literally – the literal often encouraging the figurative. There are so many great thinkers and writers recently who have been spreading the word of positivity and shining one’s own “light”. Positive thinking has become a bit of a trend, one that I am in support of I should add, however I am sometimes left with the feeling as though darkness is an old friend (thank you Simon and Garfunkel!) who is being neglected and, in some cases, shafted for having no value. I cannot seem to shake this idea that light without dark is just not seeing the whole picture.

So then what is the “whole picture” one might ask? You didn’t think I actually had that answer, did you? What I do believe to be true is that somewhere inside this picture, painting, box, or however you see your life, are blacks, greys, rainy days, negative thoughts, and whatever your darkness looks, feels, or smells like. I hope that also, living among those things, is glitter, warmth, and this “light” some of us so desperately search for.

Scratch that.

What I actually hope is that the dark and light residing in myself can grow to peacefully coexist like college roommates learning to compromise and live with one another, both with different interests, and both having value. I hope I can greet my murky days with my own flashlight that will allow me to shine in those dark places. I hope that darkness is never the whole picture, but that it may always have its place. And if this strikes a chord within you, then I hope this for you too.

“Shine in the dark places, lend the world your light.” – Shane Koyczan