THE LIGHT YOU FORGOT YOU HAD

 


THE LIGHT YOU FORGOT YOU HAD



Let’s be honest. Even the most luminous among us occasionally flicker.

A few months ago, I was sitting in a training program — not as the wise one with a flip chart, but as a humble participant with a slightly leaky pen and jumbled notes. It was the end of a long week. I was ready for my gold star and exit snacks when my teacher — a warm, yet firm type — turned to me and said:

“Sanjay, why are you not teaching? Why have you stopped?”

It hit me like an unexpected WhatsApp call.

You know that moment when someone says something kind… and inconveniently true? That was it. I’d somehow let six months pass without leading a session — distracted by other tasks, wrapped up in self-talk (read: excuses), and honestly, I’d just fallen out of the groove.

But in that one compassionate question, something clicked. It wasn’t a shove.

It was a gentle torch held up when my inner candle had gone a bit dim.

So, I did something radical:

I. Started. Again.

This past weekend, I hosted a small session. It was imperfect, heartfelt, and it felt like home. I’ve made a quiet commitment to teach monthly again — not for the applause, but because it makes me feel alive.

It also reminded me of this quote by Desmond Tutu:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
Sometimes we need someone else to be the light for us.”

(Many versions of this exist — Anne Lamott says, “Sometimes we need someone to sit with us in the dark until we remember the light.” Both make me misty. And grateful.)

Here is short clip from the movie Coach Carter that I find enjoyable. 

So here are two small reflection questions (best paired with a cup of chai):

  1. Do you have someone in your life who can remind you of your light — someone you've given permission to lovingly call you out and call you forth?

  2. Is there someone whose light has dimmed a little — and who might just need your voice, your faith, your kind nudge this week?

Stay bright. And when in doubt, be the torchbearer.

Mindfully,
Sanjay

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