Hope Keeps Us Alive

The necessity of having things to look forward to

We often hear folks saying, “I don’t want to get my hopes up too high,” but I think high is where our hopes need to be sometimes. It’s a good thing to have something to look forward to. I have noticed that when we don’t have anything exciting or joyful in our lives we start to wither away. That’s why people started quilting, baking bread, and picking up all sorts of hobbies during the pandemic. We all needed something to hold onto. 

from my garden, zinnias

I am a fan of shows like The Walking Dead because despite their circumstances the characters are looking forward to something every day. It may just be getting over to the next state where they think they’ll find more food, but even in their desperate, zombie-ridden situation, they still manage to find some hope. That’s what has kept me watching the show.  

We all need something in our lives that we feel excited about. That could be:

• Watching a TV show at the end of the day

• Observing a houseplant develop a new bloom 

• Watercoloring

• Going for a walk with a friend

• Reading a really good book with a cup of tea

• A new water bottle coming in the mail that has the perfect kind of straw

Most days my youngest daughter has been coming home from school and finding some craft to create. That has been her greatest joy. She doesn’t even want to go to bed at night. She’s always saying to me, “Just one more craft!” She wakes up in the morning wondering if she has time to get some crafting in before she gets on the bus and is already thinking about what she’ll make when she gets home. 

It’s important to be hopeful. It’s important to daydream about possibilities. My garden is in its baby phase right now but I’m already daydreaming about what it’s going to look like at the end of the summer. It’s also ok if it doesn’t go exactly as I planned, that just gives me the space to do something differently or start over. We don’t need to do things to be the best. It can just be about the practice. We can just do it for the pure enjoyment of the process. 

I have been exploring painting with watercolors. I’m not good at it. My paintings will never be sold in stores and most of it I need to throw away immediately, but it’s been fun exploring and practicing. Every summer I work on refining recipes and it's the same kind of experience. For me it's not about the things I make coming out perfectly every time. It's the process of baking that I enjoy. I made this oatmeal cookie recipe the other day and did not like it at all, but I am looking forward to tinkering with it and trying again. 

We are not too old for fun and play. In Rachel Cargle’s book A Renaissance of Our Own, she talks about creating our own adult summer camp. This just means finding some classes in our area that we can take for a week such as tennis lessons, pickleball lessons, or whatever else you’re curious about. We don’t need to wait to rediscover having something to look forward to until we retire. Our best life is not later. It is now.

Living is really about hope. It’s our heartbeat. 

Journal Prompt

What is something you are looking forward to?

A Few Things That Caught My Attention This Week

• Radical Confidence: 10 No-BS Lessons on Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life, by Lisa Bilyeu. You can find this book on Bookshop. 

• How to Care for Yourself as a Caregiver, by Louisa Kamps in The New York Times. 

• Drama Free with Nedra Tawwab on the Over It & On With It podcast. You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream podcasts.