The Currency of Light
In the quiet corners of a house, we often mistake possession for wealth. We count the objects we have gathered, the layers of comfort we have built against the world, as if these things could anchor us against the inevitable drift of time. Yet, if you watch a child at play with nothing more than a scrap of cloth or a shadow on a wall, you realize that joy is not a commodity to be acquired. It is a state of grace that exists entirely independent of the ledger. We spend our lives trying to secure our footing, building walls to keep the cold out, forgetting that the most profound warmth is often found in the most exposed places. It is a strange, stubborn truth: the less one has to lose, the more room there is for a smile to take root. We look at the heavy burdens of the world and expect to see them reflected in the faces of those who carry them, but the heart has a way of defying gravity. What is it that allows the spirit to remain buoyant when the ground beneath it is so thin?
Shahnaz Parvin has captured this resilience in her beautiful image titled A Story of Happiness. She reminds us that joy is not found in what we own, but in how we choose to look at the day. Does this not make you reconsider the weight of your own burdens?
