#lookforthelight: june 2014

My favourite light-filled Instagram shots of June.

I know that I'm Look-For-The-Light Girl and all, and so therefore what I'm about to say shouldn't come as a shock to me, and yet, here it is:  the theme "look for the light" kept surprising me over and over and over this month.  Like, actually surprised me.  I think the reason that I felt a bit of a happy shock every time I noticed it was because it kept coming up in forms I never expected.

I first started using the phrase "look for the light" when I was putting together my TEDx talk.  In that talk, I challenged people to see the "light" in those around them -- in their spirits, in their beings -- as a way to find resonance.  I drew a parallel to the way photographers look for the light as their primary way of finding beauty in a shot, suggesting it as possibly a way to conduct our everyday lives.  The light, I said, is everything.

Then, of course, we started looking for the light every month here on Chookooloonks -- and while, again, a large part of this exercise involves the photography trick of looking for physical light as we compose our shots, this monthly practice is primarily about gratitude.  It's about taking a moment to appreciate the goodness in small, joy-filled moments. 

But this month, man.  This month, the light in my world was more than merely "illumination" or "gratitude" or even "soulfulness."  This month, light included youthful joy.  It included love.  And faith.  And even intercultural and international connection.  Weirdly, I had never considered the word "light" as having all of these other meanings.  It was such a lovely realization to discover that it does.  The light truly is everything.

And for this reason, I remain ever-grateful that you guys continue to share your definitions of light with me every month.  Here are my 10 favourites from June.  (And of course, don't forget to click on each photographer's name below the images, to see more of the light in her world.)

Left:  @foxglovelane
Right:  @melwat
 

Left:  @traceelaine
Right:  @dawnsmithdesigns
 

Left:  @lolaakinmade
Right:  @intrepidmisadventurer
 

Left:  @here_we_be
Right:  @alphaprep
 

Left:  @xantheb
Right:  @tcashsnaps
 

Thanks again for consistently stopping to see the light, friends.  Looking forward to what you share for July.

Song:  Bright lights, bigger city by Cee Lo Green

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Thanks again to all of you who participated this month in #lookforthelight -- keep 'em coming!  If you'd like to participate and you have an Instagram account (it's free), simply grab shots of the light in your life with your mobile device, and add the hashtag "#lookforthelight" to your shot, either in the caption or in the comments.  I'll feature my 10 favourite shots again at the end of July here on Chookooloonks, giving lots of link love, naturally.  And of course, click here to see all the submissions (and feel free to follow along my own progress at heychookooloonks on Instagram!).