Kick at the Darkness 'Til It Bleeds Daylight

There are times, dear friends, when some simple words ring so true to me that they become almost a mantra in my life. I don't really have a mantra, I'm not a chanting type, but some phrases sing to me in a way that it becomes a running theme in my world. The phrase above is one of those.

The line comes from a Bruce Cockburn song called "Lovers in a Dangerous Time". The words are simple and yet simply profound, too. So often in life we find ourselves in dark places, in places where escape seems impossible. Places where the darkness is overwhelming, when it seems we can never overcome it. So, what do we do? I hope, dear friends, that we kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.

During the course of my other writing project I have had the privilege to meet some amazing people. These are people who run things like food banks and housing initiatives for the homeless, people like police officers and politicians (politicians of the sort who genuinely believe in improving their community). The one common denominator I truly note, besides their passion, vision, and drive, is their persistence. They too see the darkness. They see the problems, the troubles, the woes - but they don't give up. Every single day they go out into the world, and they kick at the darkness in their own way.

Once I asked the police officer I had met about his work. He had told me stories that quite frankly made me weep, made me despair for humanity. I asked him how he did it, how he managed to keep going for so many years in a profession where he saw such deep and unrelenting darkness. His answer? He replied that he had to believe he was making a difference. Maybe not a huge difference, maybe not a difference for everyone - but perhaps a difference in the life of one person, of one individual. He had to believe he was doing something to make the world a better place. He is, dear friends, kicking at the darkness with all his might.

This has become a mantra in my life, dear friends. I cannot change the world for everyone. I cannot make it a better place for every person in it. But I can smile at someone, or hold the door. I can exchange kind words, or hold a hand. I can write about those who touch my heart, and I can extend a hand in friendship. I can try to improve the life of one person, and I can try to help change their world, even if just for one moment. I can use every single day to kick at the darkness - 'til it bleeds daylight.