Hiding your light under a bushel of what?

Have you heard the idiom ‘hiding your light under a bushel’? It means to squander your talent. If your light is under a bushel, no one will see it.

I get it, but I’m not sure how a bushel fits in this context. It’s a unit of measurement. A biggish unit, as it happens. It’s a whole lot more than a peck, that’s for sure. But I don’t see how you hide a light under it. It would need to be a bushel of something, wouldn’t it? So, a bushel of what exactly?

Maybe someone might have a better understanding of this than me… surely.

I think people who are lacking confidence are the ‘bushel-hiding’ kind. They are modest, don’t want to stand out or be noticed. But have you seen someone doing something amazing despite their best to hide it. Just for a moment, the bushel lifts (or parts, or vanishes - not sure how that works for a bushel) and that glimmer shines through.

Then you have people who could do with a good bushel-ing. Those overconfident people who want to bind you with their light – like a laser pointer in your eyes. What you are seeing here isn’t real confidence, it’s bravado. I like to think of confidence as a block of chocolate and bravado as an Easter egg – wrapped nicely, not much substance and hollow in the center.

But shiny - the kind that knows itself but doesn’t need to impress, now that’s confidence. It warms you, helps you see more clearly, and you want to be there with a couple of other moths – because it’s a joy.

I love the word, shiny.

So, check your lumen. You may need to adjust it in case of impending bushels.