What Lights Your Way?

by Nancy Casey

When there is no sun, what lights your way?

This time of year, when you hardly see the sun, you can answer that question in the most literal sense by looking around you when it’s not light out. How do you see where you are going when it’s dark? Maybe you have a favorite lamp. What is the last light you turn off at night? Do you use different lights for different tasks?

You can also think about light figuratively. Consider inner light, and inner darkness. Can a light inside a person show the way? Have you had experiences with a sensation of light inside of yourself?  Can an idea inside of your mind light the way by overcoming darkness? Can light shine in a person’s heart somehow?

Can the light that shines in somebody’s life take the form of a person? Think about the sayings, “You light up my life,” or “You are the light of my life.” How does that kind of light show somebody the way?

Today for your writing, think about light and all the different ways it dispels darkness. Think about how helpful light is when you are trying to get where you are going. Think about how helpful it is in not stubbing your toe. Think about how light can keep you from getting lost or feeling afraid.

Set up your page with a line for the title and some space for an illustration. As you do that, try to empty your mind of all the things you had planned to write. Then, just as you are about to write the first word, something will pop into your mind. Write about that.

When you have filled a page, take a careful look at your work. Make small changes and add illustration if you want to. When you are satisfied with the page, give it a title and write the date on it, too. Here is an example of what someone could write.

You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.

Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She taught the Write-For-You writing class at the Recovery Center last summer and will return again in the spring. For more information about classes and writing certificates, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Community Center.