These are turbulent times. I can’t look at the news or Facebook without discovering something new that makes my stomach churn or my heart sink. I read stories about power and privilege, most often highlighting not only their existence but of some new abuse. I see stories of men making lewd comments to women because they can and stories of immigrants being detained at airports despite having been given prior permission to arrive. I am reading about men deciding what women should do with their bodies and walls that will cost billions of dollars and increase hate.

All this pain and anxiety in the world is making every day a little grey. As rights and freedoms dissolve in front of my eyes, reality is zapping the joy from my soul.

So how do we make it to tomorrow? How do we make it so that we still can find the will to fight for our ideals? How do we stay true to ourselves when the world seems crazy and broken? How can our days be a little less grey?

Sure, we need to be part of our reality. We need to see the problems and we need to fight back. But we have to have hope. We have to find moments of happiness. A very wise, old wizard once said “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

In taking the advice of dear Dumbledore (and in a desperate need to find light every day), I’m trying to find things every day that make me smile. Little things that remind me that life is good and that this life is worth fighting for. From silly things like grabbing underwear out of your drawer and realizing that you found a matching set or wearing your muggle socks under your boots to bigger things like taking the time to make someone’s day better by buying a meal for a homeless person or donating money to an organization fighting for civil rights.

Recognizing things that make you smile or going out of your way to actively make someone else’s journey better, you can find the light in the dark.

I know that it is with great privilege that I write this. And it might come off as a little trite. But I truly believe if we take time to acknowledge moments of light and give them as a gift, we can fuel our souls for the fight for good.