The word trigger (according to my Google search) to refer to activating an emotional trauma response was first used in the DSM in the 1980s. That meaning spread to common usage in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trigger warnings started to appear at the same time to help make sure that one's students/ readers/ audience wouldn't be emotionally activated in ways that make it hard for the triggered person to learn/ concentrate/ enjoy whatever else was going on. I've known this term for a long time, but only recently learned its opposite.
I heard on a podcast (sorry, I can't give the citation because I don't remember, but I am not trying to take credit for inventing this term) the word glimmer. Rather than evoking a trauma response, a glimmer calls forth a good feeling. My plan is to search out glimmers for a while.
When I ran across the stapler pictured above, I had two thoughts. First, I always like seeing objects that look like faces. Second, I realized that someone before me created the face by adding the googly eyes. The realization of connecting with the other person sparked a good feeling in me, even though I'll never know the identity of the other person. I connected with that person across time because he/she/they did something that gave me a moment of joy. What a great glimmer!
Have you had any recent glimmers? Please share any responses in the comments.
I can’t think of any examples at the moment, but humorous bumper stickers and funny or clever (cringe) graffiti could be a form of glimmer. Creative license plates can share humor too. Spreading joy is powerful. Thank you for doing it often and so well.
Thanks. Yes, I love bumper stickers and clever license plates. I’m also a fan of silly signs by churches. There are whole collections of them to read online, but it’s always a glimmer to catch them in the wild.
I have a dear friend who always carries googly eyes to add some unexpected glimmers to the world (but I don’t think she’s been around that particular stapler).
I love the idea of walking through the world supplied to add glimmers to other people’s lives. Anyone have ideas for what to keep on hand in addition to googly eyes?