As a young student in Uganda, one of the many poems we were required to recite was “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is amazing how effortlessly I recall the singsong way I learned: “I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, and what can be the use of him is more than I can see…”
This past July, as I was walking on the beach, you will not believe whom I ran into — my shadow! Of course, my nine-year-old voice immediately began: I have a little shadow that went in and out with me! But wait, my shadow was long and not little at all – I was a giant!
We all know the popular quote by Marianne Williamson that begins “Your playing small does not serve the world.” Now, isn’t that a powerful statement to wake up to every morning?
We cannot remind ourselves enough to think big and be bold – not only in how we express ourselves but also through our daily actions. What really is the point of being and doing otherwise? Life is too short to waste the time that we have. And it is too long to spend the time we have hiding from our shadows.
Dream big, stand tall and cast a big shadow – go on, I dare you!
