A Ray of Sunshine

 The 19th / 20th century Austrian novelist, Hugo von Hoffmansthal, once wrote, "A ray of sunshine can make a new person of me."

As soon as I read those words, I thought, "yes!". Because the appearance of the sun always cheers me up. Particularly if it is a blue sky and sunshine morning after several grey days, when I know the sun has been up there somewhere, but masked by a solid cloud field. On such days, I cannot wait to get out into it, to take an early morning walk and admire the beauty of the natural world, lit by the early morning sun.

I particularly enjoy getting up at 6 at this time of year, when I am up before the sun shows her face, and am able to watch the beauty of the changing colours of the sunrise from my bedroom window. And, if I am upstairs in the late afternoon, I can also witness some glorious sunsets from the other window.

But I believe that this quote can also refer not only to actual sunshine, but also to metaphorical sunshine. If we are feeling fed up or sad or angry or cynical or despairing, a walk in the sunshine can help to lift our mood. But so too can a kind word from a friend, hearing or seeing something that tickles our funny bone, receiving some good news, or the presence of a carefree child . For example, I will never forget squeezing through the crowds in Tesco one pre-Christmas weekday nine years ago, feeling fed up and grumpy, and having my day transformed by the wonder of a small child. I blogged about it here. That small child's wonder at the beauty of the Christms decorations in the store lifted my mood completely. They were a true ray of sunshine.

We can be rays of sunshine to others, sometimes without knowing it. It is always a thrill for me to receive an e-mail from another Unitarian, who has listened to my [online] service and been moved by it in some way. (This doesn't happen very often, so I always appreciate it). 

And I have found that other people can be rays of sunshine to me as a writer. If I share a piece of writing for critiquing, it is always good to hear other people's insights about it, and their suggestions on how to improve it. They can be illuminating. My son was my first reader for my fantasy trilogy (which I've so nearly finished now) and his comments were always devastatingly honest and insightful. And helped me to improve the MS no end. My three Beta readers have likewise helped me to make it better. It can sometimes be hard to hear critiques of our own writing, but I have learned that when they are made in a spirit of helpfulness rather than nastiness, they are always worth listening to, and should generally be acted on.

So let us try to be rays of sunshine to each other, and also try to appreciate the rays of sunshine which come our way, in whatever form.