The sun shined as I drove, but only for a little while. The prior day had been a stay-off-the-roads day. As I traveled south on a familiar interstate, I couldn’t avoid noticing more than a dozen twisted semis along the route. I was glad I wasn’t sharing the road with them and wondered if the drivers were okay. The roads wouldn’t ice again as I drove because of the higher temps, but the mist that began to fall would have been an issue 24 hours earlier. A light fog descended with the mist, getting in the way of the sunshine. But as I got closer to my destination, I saw a different kind of sunshine—an exit sign for Sunshine Street. I laughed aloud, because Sunshine Street definitely wouldn’t be sunny this day. Or would it?

An unobscured view of direct sunlight isn’t the only experience of sunshine. Another definition is grounded in a characteristic or mood. Sunshine is a cheerfulness or happiness. What moment or situation comes to mind?

A sunshine-attitude doesn’t require the warmest, vibrant situation or feeling. It is something that shines light even in mist and fog. The sunshine-attitude doesn’t make everything enjoyable and amazing; it simply floods revealing light, so the truthfulness can be seen. It invites a purer attitude and response. It strengthens a courage to respond well, be bold, stay still. It invites accountability, transparency, humility, and truth. And that’s a street I’d like to not only walk on every day but also reside on.

Let the mist fall. It can be cleansing and healing.

Let the fog descend. It can limit your view and tighten your focus.

Let the sun shine, whether it’s in the sky or in your heart and mind.