Sharing Knowledge

This is one of several essays that came my way today...

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles on it.” - Margaret Fuller

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine…” How many of us remember that from church or grade school?

“Knowledge shared is knowledge squared.” Another favorite quote of mine.

Knowledge is power, a power that grows by sharing it with others. The way I’m sharing my knowledge, my life learning, with you via this essay, this blog, and all my other ramblings and writings.

Knowledge can also be power lost. We lose it by hoarding it, refusing to share it, taking it with us when we leave. We also lose it by destroying it, as was done to the library of Alexandria, or by the senseless killings of wise men and women accused of crimes they did not commit, as has been done in the name of religion or political and material greed.

Knowledge can be destroyed or placed under a bushel by fear. Fear of the unknown seeking to be known. Fear of change, of growth, of loss. Fears that come from a place of lack, that dark place that shuns the light.

Knowledge brings light, the light at the end of the tunnel, the light that illuminates the darkness and chases away the demons of ignorance. Knowledge brings the light of abundance in its wake.

So, I’m going to let this little light of mine shine, lighting the way for others or lighting their candles to illuminate their own ways out of the darkness.

New Month, New Year, Different Choices

Yes, it is now October, a new month. Also, it is a new year for me - fiscal year that is - currently being a Federal civilian employee.

With all the newness, and thanks to the challenge Michelle Brunmier posted on her Facebook page (the one you can like to follow...), I've decided to do New Month Resolutions. On the post I'm referring to, she writes, "This month, my goal is to exercise and meditate at least 4 times a week (one more than last month), to read every day, and to write in my gratitude journal every night. Being grateful is key...I think we get lost in our "situations" and forget all the wonderful things we have."

As those of you who've known me for a while know, my life has not been the easiest these last nearly six months. I've done a lot of soul-searching, and am in the process of climbing up that long tunnel towards the light I can see shining brightly at the end - even though sometimes it only shines as a pinprick in the cavern of darkness I feel like I'm in at times, rather than as a window shining in the front room of life...one could say I have a tendency to "get lost in (my) 'situation(s)' and forget all the wonderful things (I) have."

So my first resolution is to keep in the front of my mind all the things I am grateful for - today, it is having a job, my wonderful husband, my adorable and brilliant children, grandchildren, step-children, and children of my heart, my expanding network of Girlfriends -both through My Girlfriends Garden and other areas, the rest of my family - brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, cousins, et al, the rain that is moving through our area right now - lightly at the moment, my cat always happy to see me at the end of the day, my wonderful team mates at work (both Corps and sponsor/stakeholder team mates) who helped propel my little program to execute at 96% of what we expected - making us Green in the lingo of the Corps, my health, my hunger, desire, need to write that never goes away, and the many avenues I have to express and share what flows through me onto the page (like this one, for example!).

I could focus on the dark things in life, but why? Life is too short and too grand and too full of things full of light to allow the dark to overtake me for more than a very short time. The dismals is not where I want to dwell, not now, not ever!

My second resolution is to do things to propel the career I will have after I retire to fruition - writing prose, poetry, and essays, self-publishing where necessary, looking at venues to sell my wares - both writing and photography, looking into what it takes to become a yoga instructor and life coach (perhaps I should have said careers - plural???), and start building the connections now to make this all a reality sooner rather than later.

And those two resolutions are enough - for now! ; )