How Many Glimmers Have You Noticed Today?

In a world where the only information being fed to us by the media, social media platforms, and power-hungry blowhards is negative, it’s easy to forget that there are, in fact, good things in this life to notice, recognize, appreciate, and be grateful for. Some of these things are big. Most are tiny daily things we tend to overlook, to our grave detriment.

I recently learned there’s a name for these tiny micro-pleasures now: “glimmers.”

Glimmers are the small, everyday pleasures that give us a moment of peace, joy, beauty, or calm. Seeing a rainbow. Noticing how the snow sparkles like diamonds in the sunshine. Hearing someone’s infectious laugh and finding yourself smiling, too. Watching a bird sing. Spotting a flower blooming on a walk. Savoring a favorite food. Watching a full moon rise. Catching a favorite song on the radio or on the PA system in a store. Trying a new recipe and deciding it’s a keeper. Petting your furry companion. Finding a heart-shaped rock.

Glimmers are more than just a nice idea. In the realm of trauma and recovery, patients are encouraged to recognize and appreciate glimmers as a break—no matter how small—from the fatigue of constant trauma. They’re said to build resilience, promote nervous system healing, and cultivate optimism, all of which are essential steps in learning to recovery from trauma.

Glimmers are the opposite of “triggers.” Somehow we all know about triggers—those things that make us feel instant stress. But most of us seem unaware of glimmers. I can’t help but think if we’re so ready to recognize triggers, surely we’d be feeling more balanced if we were just as ready to recognize the glimmers that surround us.

We all seem to be in a state of constant trauma these days. This generation of young adults has been so traumatized by relentless fear-mongering and targeted societal and environmental destruction that huge numbers of them are reluctant to get married or bring children into this world. This is heartbreaking. Every generation since the dawn of humans has felt like they’re living through the end times and that things can’t get any worse. And yet, humans are resilient. We find a way to keep going, and over thousands of years and eons of terrible events, we have still managed to create art, build beautiful things, find joy in nature, love our families and friends, and hang on to hope.

Once again, our society has reached the point where it’s become vital to notice and embrace the tiny glimmers that break, for however brief a moment it may be, the cycle of trauma we keep immersing ourselves in, whether voluntarily (we’re all guilty of this at least occasionally) or forced upon us.

So here’s a tiny act of rebellion: as you go through your day, allow yourself to be aware of the glimmers in your path. Laugh at a cat video. Notice that hummingbird, weary from its 10,000-mile migratory journey, who is delighted to find a bird feeder of nectar on your porch. Scritch your dog’s ears and enjoy that waggy tail. Reach out for a hug. Cherish the sunset or sunrise or dark, roiling clouds. Smell the aroma of the earth coming back from a frozen winter. Treat yourself to a chocolate chip cookie.

You might even consider starting a glimmer journal or, if you’re a social media adherent, start posting about the glimmers you encounter each day.

Imagine if your determination to notice and embrace glimmers inspired someone else to do the same. And imagine if that spread. And imagine if we all remembered that glimmers are every bit as important as triggers.

And imagine if we all decided glimmers were more important than triggers.

It may not solve anything. On the other hand, it may pull someone through a dark day.

And isn’t that enough of a reason to look for the glimmers sparking all around us?