HOPE DOES FLOAT

When life squeezes us, sometimes hope can seem like a far-off dream. Especially if several areas of our lives are being impacted. When we look to the world for hope and the glimmer seems gone, we may ask ourselves how did we get here? When will things improve?

But the squeezing, individually and collectively, is getting us to another place–higher ground, where the view looks different. Then we can look back and see how far we’ve come as we continue to help each other climb.

How do we bring back hope when it feels elusive? Hope can exist in that space of not knowing, but in trusting and doing what we can to rise. And one way to find it, is to give it. Give it to ourselves and share it with others when they need it most.

When circumstances get tough for us and others, we can simplify and focus on what’s most important and understand where help is needed. It’s not too far off to lend a hand to an elderly person, encourage a teenager, feed a hungry child, care for an animal, and lift each other up in ways that are free and available to us.

I’m not talking about hope being pie in the sky where we’re not digging deep to look at ourselves or circumstances in a truthful way, but rather doing what we can to improve things and make a practice of sharing a bit of hope, because it may return to us when we need it most.