The Shadow Knows
“What evil lurks in the hearts of men??? Only the Shadow knows!”
I don’t even remember what show that was from, I just remember hearing it growing up and it became one of those kitchy things you remember.
But I’m not here to talk about evil, I’m here to ponder our true shadows. And the ones we don’t know about.
That’s my shadow. I was at a fall festival last weekend and it was one of those perfect early fall days, some clouds, mild in the 60s and just perfect weather. I looked down and noticed my long early morning shadow. It got me thinking. Aren’t shadows the perfect analogy for what we think of when we think about that ‘spirit’ of our consciousness that ‘follows’ us around? The voice of reason we can’t escape sometimes?
Are our shadows really dark and sinister? Are they the absence of light? Are they the truly inescapable side of us we secretly dread?
No, I don’t think so. I choose to view my shadow as a companion. It’s not an absence of light but a reminder I am soaking in the light around me and given to me. It’s a constant companion, even if it can’t be seen. It’s not my dark side, it is the me that will follow me forever. It changes as I change, but it can grow or wither, but it remains mine and me.
This reminded me I have other ‘shadows’ in my life, ones I may forget to notice, but they are following me, anxious to see what I do and how I act. That is the essence of a leader. How do you act when you think no one is watching?
Only our shadows know…
Lead Forward
Semper Fortis
Chief Chuck