"People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed
only if there is light from within."
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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Remember the Seinfeld episode where the character George wants a nickname? But George doesn't just want any nickname. He wants to be called "T-Bone." In the end, he's stuck with KoKo, named after the signing gorilla.

I wasn't a huge Seinfeld follower, but I do remember this episode, probably because I could relate to George's desire for a nickname. And like George, a name like Sara doesn't provide too many creative options. Oh, sure there's the shortened "Sar" or occasional "Sar-Bear," but as I child I longed for a second name—an alter ego—that set me apart. Something that identified me as being "special." (I suppose this is why I’ve always preferred to go by my full name, Sara Rae.) On several occasions as a child, I tried to give myself a nickname. But, like George's experience, the names never stuck. Nicknames, I've come to realize, aren't something you find, but rather, find you.

But there was one nickname, given to me in high school by a friend, that I’ve always sort of liked. "Sparkles." Ok—so I think this guy liked me and the name was a way to flirt with me. And, if I’m brutally honest, I did sort of have a crush on him, too. But it was a situation where our timing was always off, and to take the relationship any further would've risked ruining a really great friendship. So in a way, this special name was enough to set me apart, to make me feel special. But more than that, I liked the reason behind the nickname. When I finally asked him "Why Sparkles?" he replied, "Because you do. You're always up to something. You're always on the tip of some new idea. You've just got that sparkle in your eye."

This friend saw something in me that I wasn't able to see for myself back then. I can't recall ever feeling all that “sparkly” back then. Stil, he saw it. And the nickname, "Sparkles" has always carried a very tender, special meaning for me not because it was from this person, per se, but because it captured all that I already was but couldn't see for myself.

It's Wednesday, which means it's also Wishcasting Wednesday over at Jamie Ridler Studios. Today’s wishing prompt is ever so appropriately "How do you wish to sparkle?"

To draw inspiration from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' quote above, I wish to sparkle from within.

I wish to sparkle from a secure sense of inner beauty.

I wish to sparkle not because others say I do but because I feel and see that sparkle for myself.

I wish to sparkle no matter the circumstance, but especially during life’s darkest moments. After all, isn’t it on the darkest nights that the stars shine the brightest?

Your One Step

The upstairs hallway in my parents’ house is lined with framed photos of my sisters and me on our first birthdays. Below each photo is a plaque engraved with our name and the meaning associated with it. You’ve probably seen such name plaques at craft fairs.

But what if you could name yourself? And what if that name didn’t have to be something “conventional,” but wildly original and descriptive of your creative spirit? I wonder, what would you call yourself?

Well, happy creative birthday! Today you get to name yourself, and create a name plaque to go with your new creative identity.

Choose a name—a word perhaps—and write it on a plaque. The plaque could be a piece of poster board, a paper plate, a scrap of wood…whatever you have nearby. Below your new name, write the meaning of it. Feel free to use the dictionary meaning of the word you chose, or make up your own definition. Perhaps you’d prefer to accompany your new name with a mission statement instead of a description. Be creative! Be daring! Be YOU!

3/23/2011 05:30:06 am

I love this line. "I wish to sparkle from a secure sense of inner beauty." now that is beautiful.

As you wish for yourself I also wish for you.

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3/23/2011 05:56:36 am

As you wish for yourself, so do I wish for you as well.

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3/23/2011 06:34:27 am

I had someone nickname me "Sam" when I was in my 20s - they said I didn't look like a Sandy. I have always LOVED that nickname, but only a few people still call me it.

I love your nickname, Sparkles! As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you!!

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3/23/2011 08:34:55 am

As you wish for yourself, I wish for you as well. Wonderful post.

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3/23/2011 11:02:04 am

Sparkle from within. Great wish.

As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

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3/23/2011 12:22:38 pm

As Sara Sparkles wishes for herself, I wish for her as well.

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