glim·mer  /ˈɡlimər/ verb: shine faintly with a wavering light; noun: a faint or wavering light.

I love the concept of glimmers. A glimmer is a feeling or experience that brings you joy, hope, peace, or happiness. Often, a glimmer is small and unexpected, yet it brings a bit of hope and comfort and can help regulate your nervous system. Mostly, I love the glimmer idea because it invites me to actively seek out the good in the world, and because looking for glimmers aligns with my daily practice of gratitude.

Looking for and acknowledging glimmers can shift your mindset from negative to positive. This is not to say we should gloss over or block out the wrongs and brokenness in our lives and in the world. We absolutely should notice these things and try to repair them. But we need not get stuck in a relentless and unproductive cycle of pain and suffering. Shifting our mindsets to seek the good or the hopeful moments can remind us of what is okay in the world and within ourselves. Finding glimmers can make the bad stuff less awful and all-consuming. Noticing a glimmer can offer a little calm or peace on which to build even more calm and peace in our lives. Sometimes, finding one small glimmer in a storm of suffering can keep us afloat until we see the next glimmer and so on. 

We can look for glimmers in many ways. But the key to really noticing these fleeting moments is to be present in our lives, mindful of the big and little amazing experiences unfolding around us. Buddha suggests that we look both inward and outward to appreciate the present and see the beauty in the simple things around us: human connection, a delicious meal, an unexpected text from an old friend, a beautiful sunrise, a bright, colorful flower, the perfect parking spot, or the uninhibited giggle of a child. It’s not that we deny or ignore the problems in the world, but instead we can choose not to get so lost in them that they become the only thing we see. 

A few months ago, I ran into a yoga friend I hadn’t seen in a while, and instead of the usual “How are you?” greeting, she said, “Tell me something good,”. Her words instantly shifted something inside me. Suddenly, I found myself answering with good news rather than a litany of complaints about life and the world’s problems. This reframing allowed me to focus on the glimmers in my life, not to the exclusion of the parts that need work, but more to acknowledge what is actually going right. With just a few words, she reminded me of the importance of looking for the glimmers.

So as you head into the beautifully imperfect, messy, chaotic pace of the holiday season, no matter how or with whom you celebrate, I invite you to look for the glimmers. Be open to the idea of glimmers. And when you see them, consider taking it one step further, acknowledge and celebrate them out loud. Share them with others. If someone in your life is a glimmer, tell them. If you enjoy good food, share it. Look for the bright spots. The harder, more painful spots may still be there, but you may find that they hurt a bit less, and that is certainly something worth celebrating.