Seeing the light...

Tonight we were all netflixed out, so my husband popped in a copy of one of our old favorites- Indiana Jones. I just love how hero characters are always able to come up with these creative solutions just at the last possible second, like flipping over a coffin into a pool of lit up petroleum so you can breathe underneath. Brilliant. And, I love how in that series, every time Indy does something great, the theme song plays. So dramatic. It really draws you in.

Tonight, as I was watching, I thought about real heroes and suddenly, that quote from another of my all-time favorites, Akeelah and the Bee, came to mind. Here is the quote in its actual entirety, with its actual author:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."- Marianne Williamson

I started thinking about this as related to my earlier post about letting the Source act through you. And, I think this quote embodies that entirely. The funny thing is that in Christianity it is said that one should not be proud, that all things come from God, not you. But, hardly anyone behaves this way. People scoff at others who follow their gut, their inner voice. They say they are being irresponsible, they will never make a living that way, they should be more realistic. But the people who are "unrealistic" are the ones who truly put their trust in God, or the Source, or the Universe- whatever you want to call it. That's how I feel about photography. As soon as I start to feel anxious, thinking how am I going to keep this blog up, I remind myself that it's not me that's doing it. It just happens. Something makes it happen. It's like the scene in The Last Crusade, where Indy has to walk across the huge divide simply by having faith. And, once he makes that first step, a bridge is laid out before him that takes him safely to the other side.

I think that this represents the biggest thing that I admire about my husband. He never once in his life stopped to question the path he should take through his life. When I tell people he is a drummer, some still ask, "oh, well what's his real job?" Unlike most people would, he followed his passion, his gut, his faith. He never doubted that it would carry him where he needed to go. Because of this, I think of my husband as a hero. A real life Indiana Jones :)

And, I am certain it has been his influence that has helped me to accept that this light could shine through me, as well. I just have to let it.