There’s Always Glimmer

I recently had the pleasure of doing a few shows with Gia Margaret across the USA. I loved hearing her music each night, and a particular highlight to me was the track that opens her album, called Groceries.

The album itself is called “There’s Always Glimmer”, which forms part of the chorus of Groceries: “Though it’s not easy to see, there’s always glimmer. You bought the groceries, and you let the light in”. These gentle, almost sleepy lyrics really resonated with me.

It’s not always easy to see the next step you’re meant to take. It’s not always easy to see a way out of the situation you might find yourself in right now. It’s not always easy to see hope.

But there’s always glimmer. There’s always something there. Some glimmer of hope. Some small sign to lead you to where you’re meant to be. Some way out of where you are right now.

I guess an old cliché would be looking for a silver lining to a cloud. You’ve just gotta know how and where to look for it. And I think that’s the hardest part. When everything seems to be falling apart around you, or maybe just stuck and unmoving, how are you meant to find the upsides?

I think that this is where we come back to a glimmer, rather than a full on beam of light. It’s in focussing on the small things that we can gain perspective on the big stuff.

Making the Change

A few years back, I did this 100 Happy Days challenge. The idea being that you took a photo of one thing every day that made you happy. Some days there wasn’t particularly anything that made me happy other than listening to a song, or watching a TV show. But the point was that after 100 days, I’d gotten into this routine of looking for one good thing that had happened each day, even if it felt like everything else was rubbish, and it helped changed my perspective.

I’ve recently fallen into a bit of a slump again, feeling a bit stuck. So I’ve resolved to write down 3 things that were good about each day before I go to bed, so that I’m looking for that glimmer myself, and trying to change my mindset to focus on the things that are good, no matter how small they might seem. Some days are easier than others, but it’s a great habit to get into.

We’re better together

But sometimes it’s extra hard to be able to see it for yourself. You’re sometimes going to need people around you that you can lean on. You’re going to need people to help you with the smallest of steps, or the most basic elements of self-care – like buying the groceries, or pulling the curtains and letting some light in. Or having someone else let metaphorical light in – by being around to share in moments with you, to make you laugh, to keep you occupied.

If you’re reading this feeling like you need to lean on someone else, be brave. Ask for it. Ask for help and support. If you’re reading this, and you know someone who’s struggling right now, shoot them a message. Go for coffee together. Binge watch Netflix with them. Play video games together (bonus points if it’s old school and in the same room, rather than online). Go shopping with them. We’re always stronger together.

Keep on looking for the glimmer every day, and over time it’ll get brighter.

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Our latest collection of merch with a message is themed around finding your light – check it out in our shop.