Do you practice the Sunshine Law?

When I was growing up in Hollywood, Florida (30 minutes north of Miami Beach), my Dad was politically active…he was into civil rights, protecting the environment by fighting the land developers (to this day Hollywood Beach is still nearly free of the tall buildings that block beach access), and he was a strong advocate for getting the  “Sunshine Law” passed when I was around 12 years old.

I remember him explaining to me that the “Sunshine Law” was important because it required that all that all meetings of any governmental body, where official acts take place, will be public meetings. He said that they couldn’t be secret – or take place in the dark – because we deserved to know what our officials were doing.

It’s interesting that my sister Debbie, incorporated this into her life’s work around dealing with “the dark side” and showing people how to love and embrace both their darkness and their light.

I also decided that this is how I wanted to be in the world… really open, no secrets, what we now call transparency.  For me, it just seems logical and easy to just be this way.  It is also a great way to stay deeply connected to your partner.

Living life with your own “sunshine law” requires a big commitment to vulnerability.  It’s not easy to always share your truth, your deepest feelings, and the “not so wonderful” parts of ourselves.

Elizabeth Gilbert is particularly genius at this.  Last week, on her Facebook blog, she shared that one of the reasons for her upcoming divorce is that her best friend, Rayya, is now her lover and partner.  In a deeply revealing and touching piece, Elizabeth shares the intimate details of Rayya’s diagnosis with pancreatic/liver cancer and how that revealed their truest feelings for each other.

The Sunshine Law is a great metaphor for allowing your love and life to shine brightly, and bless yourself and all those in your world.

Wishing you love, laughter, and magical kisses,

 Arielle