CAN SOMETHING BE BOTH FACT AND WISH?

Lead by example. Follow the Golden Rule. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

We’ve all heard those sayings more times than we can count. And yet, each one points to the same thing—that the world we want to live in starts with how we choose to show up. That same idea surfaces in Sally Franson’s 2025 release, Big in Sweden.

The main character, Paulie, says the following to someone she doesn’t always see eye to eye with:

She then reflects:

It’s an old saying, one that I’m not sure exists in other languages, that functions as a fact or a wish. In truth, I had no idea if Kevin would have done the same if the roles had been reversed, but I wanted to be that person, and so I reflected that person back to him—partly by being that person for him.

This paragraph stopped me because it felt so relevant to righting what’s wrong in the world right now.

Think about it. How many times have you shown up for someone—not because it was convenient or because you were sure they’d do the same—but simply because you wanted to believe the world works that way? Because you wanted to believe people work that way?

How often do we extend grace or understanding without thinking about what might come back? Without a single thought of reciprocity—just because it feels right to do so?

It feels like a little (or a lot) of that is missing these days, doesn’t it?

Maybe that’s because the quickest path to disillusionment is forgetting the humanity in one another—forgetting that beneath the noise and all the shouting, most of us want the same things: to be healthy, for our loved ones to thrive, to be valued for our contributions, to know we matter.

So what if love isn’t a mirror, but a flashlight?

Something we hold up in the dark to see what kind of people we’ve chosen to be. And a small beam of light that illuminates a path toward kindness, generosity, and connection. For all of us.

Because, here’s my honest opinion: being kind first, forgiving first, showing up first, those things are never wasted.

Even if our actions don’t change someone else, they change us. They remind us that, for one small moment, we chose love over fear, compassion over cynicism. And those choices, repeated again and again, are how the light grows brighter. How we can, little by little, do our part to raise collective consciousness.

So maybe, circling back to the above quote, it is really both fact and wish. Maybe “you would’ve done the same for me” is really just another way of saying, I hope you would. I hope we’re both that kind of person—whether now or soon.

Because honestly, that kind of hope—and belief in one another—feels like a pretty great place to live.

 

 

A few journal prompts to remind us we’ve all been a flashlight at some point in our lives:

• When was the last time you gave something—time, grace, forgiveness—without any expectation that it would be reciprocated?

• How did that choice shape how you see yourself?

• When the light shines on you, what do you hope others will see?

If you need a journal to capture your thoughts, I invite you to check out my small hand-drawn collection HERE.