On lighthouses

“If you cannot change the course of the storm, be the lighthouse.” - Ronn Daigle

Happy Friday, beautiful people. I return from a brief hiatus due to travel for work and pleasure.

Part of that pleasure: visiting 11 lighthouses along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in 4 days. Featured in today’s thumbnail is one of the pair from Saint Joseph.

These two lighthouses guide boats into the harbor; a catwalk both ran from the shore (where the lightkeeper’s house was) to the larger of the two and then further down to this, the smaller of the two. These catwalks were necessary because - while the waters were serene during my visit - winter brings ferocious westerlies with unending waves; the pier would typically become covered in layers of ice as these waves crashed over it.

In each of the visits I made - to Saint Joseph, South Haven, Holland, Grand Haven, Whitehall, and then finally Michigan City - catwalks were often present. I thought about the effort it must have took to walk, carrying the fuel to keep the lights going, in high winds and rain or snow. How confident one would have to be to make the trek again and again to tend the lights. How important the job was to ensure the safety of people and cargo.

I’ve said here a few times that part of our job as humans is to shine our lights for those that come behind us. It may be easy to think of this as a passive act - the lighthouse cannot stop the storm; the lighthouse cannot act upon the ship itself to change its course to avert danger; the lighthouse can only shine and hope that the ships will see and steer clear of danger.

But it’s very active - you must tend to yourself - you must walk the catwalk to refill the fuel, in many different circumstances - to be able to be present and offer aid to others.

Is there a way you have been avoiding tending to yourself? Can you take one action today to refill your cup - even if it feels hard, like walking a catwalk 20 feet above crashing waves and in 50 miles an hour wind?

Be well, beautiful people.