Light

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

― Plato

“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“There is no perfection only life”

― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

― Brene Brown

Today started with a soft brush of light, and thereafter turned into a bright light that appeared in clear rays through the clouds. They were evidence of the sun that has risen on my life and his. I had to stop the car to aim and click.

Capturing the moment made all future moments seem crystal clear.

The beautiful morning clouds disappeared and I was offered a bright, sunny, cloudless day. There are no clouds, but I am happy; for I know we have shared the message of the first morning cloud. I think of my unbearable lightness becoming bearable, and me now wanting to be light. The light offers me an epiphany when I suddenly realise that he is right. Even exquisite words are lies if you do not know where they originate. Lightness can be splendidly beautiful. Only the truth matters. I am reminded of the quote from my ‘Unbearable Lightness of Being’; the book I carried under my arm for years:

“But is heaviness truly deplorable and lightness splendid? The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in the love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man’s body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously the image of life’s most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?”

-Milan Kundera

I chose weight, but discovered lightness is equally important. We can’t have the one without the other.

How great is the light within us. It becomes even greater at that moment when it breaks through the clouds, and exposes our bleeding hearts. I have learnt to own my past, live in the present and dream of my future. The love lies within us. Everything makes sense once we are brave enough to explore each others’ darkness. This is necessary in order to let the light in and share it with the other. I need to embrace my vulnerability and find him again: my vulnerable equal partner in the place of light where we speak the same truths.

The unbearable lightness of being is becoming bearable, and the heaviness is leaving my heart at last.

I am light.