Glimmers: The Quiet Language of Joy

Series: Finding the Glimmers.
Part 1 Remembering What Makes You Feel Alive

If triggers are anchors in our environment which reminds us of what hurt us,
then glimmers are the anchors in our environment of what makes life worth living.

Glimmers are the soft moments when your inner voice says,
“I feel safe here.”

It is easy to forget the fun and safe things life presents to us everyday
Even when I point out that there are glimmers everywhere
You still may not even notice them.... at first.
Glimmers don’t demand your attention like triggers do.
They’re quiet. Subtle. Often fleeting.
But their presence is profound.

A glimmer is when the sun hits your face just right.
When you hear a song that unlocks a memory you didn’t know you still had.
When your friend tells an age-old joke and, for a moment, your body forgets fear.
When something sweet and tender makes you forget the noise of conditioning,
and you feel a soft from inside.

One of My Glimmers

When I was nine, my mom had ordered me a homemade lemon birthday cake.
Homemade. With lemon icing.
It was sweet, tangy, delectable.
To this day, the taste of anything lemon-flavored brings me back to that birthday night
playing musical chairs, laughing with cousins,
Moses.... (my dog) eating the rest of my cake.....
Later that night....me throwing up from too much cake and ice cream, ha!

And yet, despite the chaos, that memory glows.
Because I felt loved. Celebrated.
Now, anytime I smell lemon, it’s like my body relaxes into that memory.
An imprint of joy.

Glimmers live in the body like that.
They are tied to the senses.
Scent,
taste,
texture,
sound.
They are memories of aliveness.

Why Glimmers Matter

Most of us have been trained to be vigilant for danger.
Hypervigilance became our lifestyle.
We are experts in what hurts
but foreign to what feels good.

Glimmers remind us that life isn't all bad,
We aren't always surviving,
In many ways actually we are thriving.
It is up to us to refocus our lens to see the glimmers in everyday life

“There is more to life than surviving.”

Reflective Exercise:
Sensory Mapping

Let's use our senses to refocus on some glimmers.

👂 Sound – A voice? A song? Rain on a roof?
👃 Smell – A meal? A perfume? Earth after rain?
👅 Taste – A fruit? A meal from childhood?
👁️ Sight – A color? A certain light? A face you love?
🤲 Touch – A fabric? Water on skin? Warmth of sun?

Write down 5 glimmers, one for each sense.
These are your anchors.

Next time in Part 2:
We’ll explore why glimmers often come from forgotten memories