Solar Lights Don't Glow When the Sun Doesn't Show

Although this is an obvious statement of fact, it still catches me by surprise.  When I sit outside at night, waiting for my dogs to do what they need to do, and smoking my last cigarette for the day, I usually sit next to the solar lamp given to me by a friend.  Some nights it vividly displays the light spectrum, from red to violet to green, etc., etc.  Some nights the light is exceedingly dim, like a weight lifter who has overextended his strength.  And some nights, there's no light at all.

These are the nights when I try to remember what the day had been like.  Was it overcast?  Did the sun peak out, even for an instant?  Or did the sun hide its enthusiastic outreach, and leave us with clouds or rain or what have you?  

Which begs the point, did I even notice whether or not the sun was or was not shining that day?  And there lies the answer...I just don't remember.  But my solar light keeps track of that for me.  It knows what I don't remember, and it responds without my prompting.  Thank goodness.

If you've grown weary waiting for me to make a point, fear no longer.  My point is, how much of my day do I miss because I'm too busy, too distracted, too lost in my own thoughts? Trying to remember which bill needs paid, what items I need to pick up after work, which task should be my next priority, whose feelings did I hurt with my callous statement, wondering if my outfit really goes together, trying to remember that thing that I had forgotten, or how long it has been since I've talked to me children, or did I make that appointment that needed to be made, blah, blah, blah.  

I guess that's the cost of being alive, and thank God for that.  At the same time, it's not that I miss everything that surrounds me.  I marvel that a butterfly leaves a shadow, that every plant that flowers has its own signature bloom, that I am loved by the people I love, that every day has blessings, and challenges, and that I am constantly supplied with a sense of purpose.  And even that the whole world seems to depend on me at the same time it goes on without missing a beat whether I am present to it or not.

So shine little solar light when you have had enough sunshine, and stay dark when you have not.  And whether or not I remember what the day was like, I count on your reminder to step outside myself.  I guess that's all anyone can ask.