Illuminate Your World; Anyone can be the light, at any moment

By Sister Chirya —

I was stuck on a cross-town bus during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were irritated with one another, with the world. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy could be found here.

But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom. “Folks,” he said, “I know you have had a rough day and are frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here is what I can do. As each one gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight, just leave them with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later I will open the window and throw your troubles in the water.”

It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing, with surprised delight. People pretending for the past hour not to notice each other’s existence suddenly were grinning at each other, like is this guy serious? Yes, he was serious.

At the next stop, the driver reached out his hand, palm up, and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and pretended to drop something into his palm. Some people laughed and some teared up, but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same lovely ritual at the next stop, all the way to the river.

A bad day often lasts for weeks, and it seems difficult to be a human being. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. Everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don’t know where to find it.

But what if you are the light, the very agent of illumination a dark situation begs for?  This bus driver taught me that anyone could be the light, at any moment. He wasn’t some big power player, or a spiritual leader. He was a bus driver, one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully for our benefit.

When life feels grim or I feel powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I think of this scene and ask myself, “What can I do right now to be the light?”

I can’t personally end wars, solve global warming, or transform vexing people. I definitely can’t control traffic. But, by feeding my mind with pure, positive thoughts and feelings every morning through spiritual study and meditation throughout the day I will consciously choose a right thought and feeling, and influence everyone I come in contact with, even if we never speak or learn each other’s names.

“No matter who or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation may seem, you can illuminate your world. In this way the world will ever be illuminated, one bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river.”  — Elizabeth Gilbert

(Chirya Risely can be reached via email to bkchirya@gmail.com or chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org. Call [518] 589-5000 or visit www.peacevillageretreat.org for details of classes and retreats, and visit pv25.info for details on the Sept. 7 Spiritual Festival to celebrate Peace Village’s 25th Anniversary of spiritual service.)