Screwing in light bulbs.

I eagerly crawled under the desk to plug in the new lamp. I had been writing at this table each morning, and bemoaned the poor lighting daily, so I was excited to have solved the problem. Once plugged in, however, the light did not work. I tried another outlet, but the result was equally disheartening. I remembered that we have certain sockets in our house that are controlled by the light switch beside the door, but no combination of switches worked. After an embarrassingly long ordeal, I found the light bulb was not fully screwed in. With a few twists of the wrist, my writing table basked in a wonderful light.

It is Labor Day as I write, and no matter how long I have been away from the school world my energy and purpose “clock” is set on a school calendar. The beginning of each school year fills me with newfound direction and enthusiasm. Lists of goals and hopes are written, new running shoes purchased, as I anticipate the work of the new year.

I many ways, it is a season in which I hope and pray to screw my spiritual, physical, parental, vocational, and social light bulbs in more tightly. To do so, I need the end of the bulb to touch the electrical source within. It takes time and effort, twists and turns, and sometimes the contact points need to be scraped clear of debris. To walk more often, read, sit in solitude, offer service to another, say “no” to desert or seconds could make all the difference. In the end, there could be light that’s refreshing and new.

It is my hope that each of us spends time screwing in our light bulbs in whatever way we can so that the light we have been given can shine more brightly in this world that needs all the light it can get.

“We are the light bulbs, Richard, and our job is just to stay screwed in!”  Desmond Tutu (To Richard Rohr)