Candle Day Light

It’s about transitioning. I like to ease into the day. Get coffee. Open the blinds. Sit, look out the window. Ready.

But lately it’s dark. I get coffee. Open the blinds. Sit, look out the window. Nothing but blackness. Turn on a lamp. Too bright! Too abrupt! Turn it off. Go back to sleep.

Today I tried something different. I repurposed a candle used for romantic evenings. Lighting it, I looked out the window with the warm glow of soft candle light beside me. Eased into the day. Candle-Day-Light. Ready.

When our four kids were small, Tom did something similar when arriving home from work. Repurposed his work truck by sitting in it at the curb ten minutes, preparing, easing into the craziness of life inside. Ready. He called it transitioning.

We also use this term in riding. Prepare your horse by cueing to gradually slow down or speed up, avoiding abrupt changes and riding with finesse. But even with the best of preparation, things can happen unexpectedly. My horse slips, we fall, we break.

In life, we don’t always have the luxury of transitioning. Time to prepare, get ready, think ahead, ease in. Like turning on that lamp on a dark quiet morning, sometimes it’s too bright, too abrupt.

So, the next time that happens, I’ll remember the candle.