What's your bright place?!

I'm not going to lie. The blog title is not original. I stole it from a book that I read a week ago, titled 'All the Bright Places.' Yes, the book is for young adults and no, I am not ashamed to be a fan of that genre. In fact, I am a proud enthusiast because the YA community introduced me to some of my all-time favorites, The Book Thief, The Fault in our Stars, A Wrinkle in Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wonder, Lord of the Flies, Harry Potter, and Anne Frank. However, 'All the Bright Places' as such wasn't a very bright book. On second thought, it wasn't bright at all. It was rather depressing and I felt downright miserable after finishing it. Mainly since it revolves around two teens with high suicidal tendencies, out of which one ends own life [That's right, it is a spoiler!]. You see, it is not a book you could easily recommend to someone you know. What if that someone you know was already depressed and this book was all it took to push them off the ledge? So, whenever someone, whom you suspect of depression, corners you for a book suggestion, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is always the wisest choice. Mostly because towards the end, the gloomy protagonist chooses to participate in 'life' instead of letting go.

Anway, enough about books, depression, and booknerd problems. Let's focus on the title - All the Bright Places. It is what prompted me to buy the book in the first place. I really really loved the phrase and it kind of stuck with me. Even after a week of having finished the book, the title was still in the back of my mind. Over the last few early mornings and late nights, the title evolved into a question - 'What is my bright place in life?' It piqued my interest, urging me to recognize all the places that held warmth and sunshine for me. 

That is when I realized how lucky I was because for me, brightness comes not just from one place, but many. There are my family and friends, who shine on me like the Sun, giving me my life's light and stability. Next, there is solitude, the fire that burns away my social mask and highlights my naked soul. I cautiously contain this fire by my side, letting it not devour the whole of my existence. Then there are books, the magical stars that dot my sky in millions, adding radiance to my abstractness. There is also writing, which comes and goes, illuminating my world like an unpredictable flash of lightning. Finally, there is the seldom celebrated-undisturbed-dreamless sleep, that adds a glow to my face like the firefly's gleam. My world glimmers like a diamond, with all these heavenly places around me. They are my life's beacons, tethering me to my world and adding meaning to the years I cross. And when there are days I feel downcast, they mean only one thing. I haven't been visiting my bright places as often as needed. Because, it is light that shies away darkness, both from within and out. 

Like Dumbledore once said, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Or, if we know just where to look. All of us have our own shades of brightness. Be it a blinding beam or a fluorescent flicker, it is just one tiny light wave that is required to turn the tables of hope and dispel doom. So, know all the bright places in your life and keep visiting them :)