Hope XXL

Hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true[1].

I’ve been thinking a lot about this word. It’s a word that is used often and in a variety of circumstances. Maybe too much?

I hope it doesn’t rain today; I hope the kids did their homework; I hope this recipe turns out…

Today, I feel like I have been overusing the word. Or that I need another to express those more banal situations where I am desiring a wanted outcome. Or maybe I need to have a supersized version of the word…

There is so much more to hope.

Especially when it comes to perilous situations, where things are teetering on the edge.

Hope then becomes the means to an end. It’s the light out of the darkness.

Hope becomes a state, in and of itself.

There are times, situations and circumstances where you are not simply desiring something to happen, but you are willing it to transpire.

And where there’s a will, there’s a way.

There are times when the desired outcome is not optional and we need to harness all of our will to ensure that we come out on the other side intact.

Failure is not an option.

In these times, the will becomes the driving force of hope. It is not simply a question of wanting it to happen; it becomes a primordial need for it to happen.

Hope XXL.

During moment like these, hope is like a mother. Warm, inviting arms providing strength and comfort…all while slowly, but steadily pushing you out the door, into the great beyond. The exact perfect combination of love and of letting go that is needed to keep moving, especially when all else is telling us to stop and fold.

In these moments, we must use all our senses and embody the desired outcome. We need to see it, smell it, hear it and feel it. We need to envelope ourselves in hope’s arms.

There are so many things outside of our realm of control, but our thoughts are ours alone. And the mind is a very powerful weapon that we can use to control our destiny. One positive thought can actually cause a chain reaction, sending good vibes spiraling throughout our body and causing a ripple effect on things going on outside of ourselves and beyond our control.

I am not against living in the moment. Being present helps to dimmish the power of anxiety and rumination over our lives. But sometimes, the present is not only uncomfortable, but actually intolerable. Our minds can provide us with a powerful tool to remedy the unbearable pain.

Hope is the antidote and no prescription is needed.

See the possibilities. Hear the opportunities. Feel the love.

To all my friends and followers who are hanging on by a thread. I give you hope, in its truest form.

Hope XXL.

Wrap yourselves in the warmth and light. See, hear and feel your future …it’s bright.

R.

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[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope

* Snowy Tulips; photo by Ruth Arless-Frandsen, Pointe Claire, 2021.