Rose, bud, thorn.
Pros & cons.
… Glimmers & glowers.
🙂☹️
Whatever you call these comparative highs and lows, they help us reflect on the peaks and valleys of our lives, and what matters most. They help us clarify our past to illuminate potential futures, and step forward with clarity.
Freewriting recently, I find myself lingering on negatives. Constantly regurgitating ills recapitulates even more ills, until my pages swirl with darkness upon darkness, a monstrosity. No. There is great beauty here too. Incline towards joy!
I write “glimmers” on the top of the left page, and “glowers” on the top of the right page. The notebook centerfold delineates a natural valley between two peaks, one glimmering with delight, the other glowering with disgust. Making equal space for both, I acknowledge both. Writing down both Glimmers and Glowers, I acknowledge both shadow and light, disgust and delight, yin and yang. I welcome both.
How do you make space to welcome both fury and beauty, the greys and rainbows of your life experiences? Do you tend to remember great highs, deep lows, or the little moments between obvious peaks?
Glimmers & Glowers practice
Open your notebook.
Write “Glimmers” on the top of the page on the left.
Write “Glowers” on the top of the page on the right.
List recent delights and life highlights under “Glimmers,” and recent disgusts or low-points under “Glowers.”
Keep going on the next page if you wish. Or, look back and underline what pops out at you— then keep writing by riffing off the underlined words or sentences. Or rip it up. Or— any number of possibilities.
Go outside. Walk it out.
Glimmers & Glowers are helpful when I have overwhelming grump, and need something tangible to prevent me from sliding into a black pit of “grr.” Writing a list of “Glowers” helps me put them down, look them in the eyes, and set them free— or at least begin. Filling up that big empty “Glimmers” page with small beauties helps me remember: life is beautiful. Incline towards joy.
This morning, I was still grumpy, but the Glimmers and Glowers wanted to coexist. They didn’t want to be on separate pages. So I drew a smiley-face 🙂 for Glimmers, a frowny-face ☹️ for Glowers, and kept writing.
I will sometimes color-code Glimmers in a bright color, and Glowers in a darker color. Red and blue perhaps. Or gold and purple.
When things are really dark, I will go to town on a piece of scratch paper writing and drawing Glower upon Glower, then rip or burn the whole mess after I’m done. When I’m ready I’ll pick up Glimmers again— but sometimes Glowers just need center stage.
Endless possibilities. Find your outlet. Just don’t let it simmer and ferment. Let out the beast. Give it space to explore. Give it room to dance. Learn its needs, its grump-glowering edges and center. Change your relationship with this monster. Adjust your life where you can, to mollify the beast. Then move on. Remember what glimmers. Feed that.
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I'm appreciating how you are making space for both light and dark, yin and yang. Making room for wholeness. I do this a little differently. Since we have built-in negative bias, and the dark feels very available, lol, I've been "inclining towards joy" by asking myself the questions: What's working? Where is peace/ahimsa today? Where is sraddha/faith showing up in my life? The answers are astonishing each time I ask! And these questions also help me incline towards being, rather than doing, towards noticing the peace and faith that is here instead of the peace and faith that is not here. I like the questions you're posing!
Such a good idea!!