Happy Sunday! 🍃
I was recently listening to a podcast called It’s Been a Minute, hosted by Brittany Luse. She was interviewing one of my favorite authors, Jason Reynolds. The interview was about how reading can change your life and the title of the episode was, “Books can teach you to love yourself. If you let them.” That right there was enough to pique my interest, but it was something I wasn’t expecting to hear during the interview that made me stop and rewind to hear it a few times.
They were talking about Jason’s chance encounter with actor Omar Epps, and that led to him saying this. “So much of the joy in my life has to do with me being a fan. I wanna be a fan. Not just of people, but of everything. I’m a fan of nature, I’m a fan of art, I’m a fan of architecture, I’m a fan of children, I’m a fan of elders. I’m a fan. And I think that is what keeps my light burning.” That stopped me in my tracks.
At this point in my life, the thing I’m the biggest fan of is BTS. And Jason’s words made me want to scream, “Yes, yes, be a fan!” But this isn’t only about well-known fandoms, although I do believe that being part of one can totally enrich your life. What are some of the things that you’re a fan of in your daily life? What are those things that you can spend hours doing, or looking at, or engaging with?
Here are some of mine:
books and reading
journals and pens
a really great cup of coffee
building LEGO sets and puzzles
crafting
K-dramas and learning Korean
all the children in my life, and children in general
traveling and exploring new cities and countries
trees, museums, word games, I could go on forever.
I encourage you to make your own list of all the things that your a fan of. The things that, as Jason said, “keep your light burning.” Then look at your list and ask yourself, are you doing those things on a regular basis? Are you going to the beach, are you taking the bike ride, are you picking that hobby back up that used to have you wondering where the time went because you were so wrapped up in it you forgot the time? If you’re not, I would encourage you to pick one thing off your list and do it. Even if you have a hectic schedule and only have 10 or 15 minutes. Use those minutes to get your light burning.
As we recognize Labor Day this weekend, I hope that you remember that the work we do to make a living shouldn’t be your whole life. I know there are bills to be paid, and work to be done. The bills and the work are always going to be there. Can you say the same for your light? Don’t let it burn out. Do something this week to keep your light burning. You truly deserve it!
Positively yours,
Pebbles 💜
🎶 24-year-old man with autism goes to his first music festival alone and has a life-changing experience. The impact of kindness is unmatched!
🚧 Construction workers save a kitten and she’s now the boss of all of them!
💝 The message we all need to know and to hear. “Your existence is a gift to someone.”
🎨This art teacher’s message for her students is one we could all use!
I love this poem Josie Balka posted a couple years ago about being a fan. Listen to it and then go out, and be a fan.
