Light Bulb Moment

Environments can create energy, and that energy can power lightbulb moments.

Today I had a light bulb moment. Have you ever had one of those moments and thought, "Wow, how have I never thought of this or experienced this before?" While I often know why these things happen, it gave me pause today to reflect: light bulbs require energy to be lit, and energy comes from an action or an environment that produces activity. That energy from the action or environment then becomes the source or reason that the light bulb goes from unlit to lit.

When I think about this moment today, it's obvious I haven't had a moment like this in a while, largely due to the fact that I have not done the activities or put myself in the environment necessary to create the energy to light the light bulb.

Like most of my life, I live in upstate New York, and I think most would agree with me that this winter has been brutal—brutal amounts of snow, brutal frigid temperatures that feel like the Arctic tundra. Sure, it's really pretty and cozy sometimes to see a crisp snowfall when you have nothing to do or only indoor activities on your list, but over time, for people like me, it slowly drains your battery. Call it what you will: seasonal depression, lack of motivation, lack of curiosity or enthusiasm for outdoor activities. Hibernation is my Olympic sport during the majority of winters. Add my introverted nature to the mix, and most people wouldn't know I'd grown a third arm during winter.

It's not lost on me that I slowly seep into a depressive state mentally and physically, and sometimes it takes a minute for me to snap out of it and realize I need to do something different—whether I like it or not—because that something different creates more positive effects than the negative or adverse effects of avoiding what I don't want to face or deal with. So today I got ready, hair done, makeup done, and walked out the door with the intention to work on my to-do list from another location.

The decision to leave my house and put myself in a different environment was the very thing I needed to snap out of it, to create the energy needed to light the light bulb. I headed to one of my favorite coffee shops, set up my computer, and away I went. I didn't meet up with friends. I didn't see anyone I knew. I sat alone by myself, but everything about being there impacted each and every one of my five senses. Being around people, even though I don't know them, helped break the isolation. Watching people laugh, converse, work together and work independently—all of it mattered.

All of this to say: to have a stupendous life, I have to be honest with myself and continually get to know myself on an intimate, almost cellular level. I need to know what are the things that excite me, that make me happy. What are the things that drain my energy, that make me sad, that make me feel frustrated or angry? What do I think? What do I feel? And can I recognize those things to pivot when needed, to honor and respect those feelings, to make an intentional decision to live boldly and love stupendously?