“Many of us have made our world so familiar that we do not see it anymore," the great John O'Donohue writes.
He adds a delightful challenge: "An interesting question to ask yourself at night is, What did I really see this day?”
Ever since, the energy in my always searching eyes has been even more alert to sudden moments that spark joy.
One struck today. A new friend fell from the sky into my eyes. He appeared first as a flame, acrobating the air as a tip of lightning. Then a flying leaf. Finally, a brilliant, solid yellow butterfly.
Botanists call them "yellow sulfur" butterflies. I call them sparks of joy.
Odd as it sounds coming from a tough, 80-year old former trial lawyer and hospital CEO who spent his career in florescent-lit battlefields, this little fellow with the always sun-drenched wings, who flitted by and vanished in a second, did something for me. He sparked joy.
When I slip into bed tonight and ask myself "What did I really see this day?" my dashing flash of a yellow friend will again ignite light in my heart.
Click here to see a 30 second video I made for you from online clips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=926j-8DbyyM
What sparked joy for you today?
-Erie Chapman
The blurry pictures and video YouTube prove that these beings are, well, sparks.
