In Which Our Heroine Reflects On Light And The Joy Engendered By Shiny Plastic Objects

I’ve been meaning to write this entry for a while. Life has been busy here (as usual), as I’m sure it’s been for you, Dear Reader. It feels like time gets away from me faster and faster every year, despite my efforts to try to slow down, be mindful, and notice the good things in life as they (seemingly) flash past.

This is a time of Growing Darkness, when we head toward the Shortest Day of the Year, when we look forward to a New Year and, hopefully, growth and renewal. In the meantime, though, Gloom can prevail. And as we get older, it can feel like the light and magic and joy of this time of year is a little faded, a little tired.

Little things can help. This is one of my coping mechanisms:

This is my Dragon Bag. It stays in my handbag and goes everywhere with me, and here is what it contains:

I produce these little dragons in sets of six or eight on my 3D Printer, and then, when I go out into the world, I look for people who might want a little friend. Doing this encourages me to really notice the people around me. Offering a dragon helps me form connections with people, if only for a moment. They’re a great way to say “thank you” or just “I see you.” And they’re small enough to fit in someone’s pocket or not take up too much room on their desk or on a shelf or in a bag. They’re a constant reminder that someone thought that a teensy flexible plastic dragon was just what you needed and offered you one.

The best part of having dragons on me is the absolute delight that strangers and friends both express when they’re offered a teensy dragon of their own. Gender, age, color, and creed don’t matter – dragons seem to be universally loved. And sometimes, giving a dragon leads to a conversation, a story, an insight into another person. I’ve left dragons along with my tip at restaurants and then, when I go back, I’ve been informed of what that dragon’s name is and where it lives now. I can’t even express how happy that makes me. It’s the best win-win that I’ve found this year, and I’m going to keep handing out dragons next year and the year after that and so on.

This isn’t going to Save Humanity or bring World Peace. But it can make a difference between a day that is Crappy and a day that is Crappy With A Little Random Joy In It.

All of this to say that I hope that you also find this kind of bright spark as we head toward the darkest time of the year, whether it’s through giving or receiving or both. Please remember that there is still light, and magic, and surprises (good ones).

I’ll see you on the other side of the Solstice. Brighter days are ahead.