There is something about the light at this time of year. Something about the crystal clear blue skies. Something about being able to see the bare form of the deciduous trees and straight through into the heart of the forest.

We need this right now.

A way to see through all of the noise, the hype, the confusion and the fears. A way to see down to the bones of things. The courage to bear up under the clear reflection of the “realities” that are darkening our world by choosing to look for the Light.

This is not easy to do in a world that loves to churn out the doom and gloom. Not easy to do in bodies whose nervous systems have been frayed by all of the overwhelm, the drama and the trauma. Not easy to do when it seems like everyone around you is feeling the same way, and that to believe differently is to somehow put yourself at risk.

That’s where the Light comes in.

As a reminder of What Is. As well as, What Could Be. As a way of orienting to the eternal and enduring flame in times when it appears that the darkness is overtaking. You don’t have to go far. All you need to do is to step out your door and breathe in. All you need to do is to make a conscious commitment to align with the Light all around you.

This is more than just not going over to the dark side. For most of us, this is not where we live. Instead, for most of us, it’s about not feeding the fears around the dark narratives of the world. Not falling prey to the fear porn. Not talking about it. Not thinking about it. Not organizing your life around it.

And instead, to intentionally choose what it is you want. What it is you most want to see in the world. Who it is you most want to be. And then organizing your life around that.

Personally, I am making a commitment in the upcoming year to watch and challenge my thoughts like never before. To not allow a single belief I do not want to see in my life or the world to hang out in my mind without checking myself. Without refuting it. Without refusing to allow something dark to take hold within me without a fight.

So while we cannot change the darkness out there, we can change the darkness in here. We can refuse to be the carrier of anything less than Light. We can make it a point each day to check in and notice the quality of the thoughts we are harboring. We can question their validity. We can watch how they play out in our life.

And we can learn to connect the dots between what we’re thinking and what is happening all around us.