A Space for Hope

I must unplug for a while. It’s all just too much. Every day, I hold my breath before turning on the news. What will it be today? What image, what comment, what policy will knock me off my feet? Kick me in the gut? Remind me of the terror of living in this time?

My soul is shriveled.

Deep crevasses of sadness; like a mountain I can never quite summit. Joy, just beyond my reach. Rocks weighing me down. Heavy. Murky. Disoriented.

My hope is in shreds. Mutilated.

But today, I must choose a different path. I must seek out this hope that has become illusive to me. When did you become a stranger to me?

No more. I cannot let this go on. Not one. More. Minute.

Dear hope, let’s reunite. Let’s find a way. Let’s create a space where I can nurture you, again.

How will I do this? By shaking hands with myself, again. By finding the clarity and holding on! What do you love? What feeds your soul? I already know the answers. They are that fresh breeze, that cooling wind, that warming sunshine. Old friends, I have left you at the door.

Today, I invite you in.

Finally, I invite you in!

Today, I will pick up my pen and write.

Today, I will take out my mat and practice yoga.

Today, I will take Harry Potter off the shelf and read it, again, with childlike wonder.

Today, I will laugh with my child; deep, soul-filled laughs of wonder and abandon.

Today, I will read about Sea Turtles, and dream about swimming with them in the ocean.

Today, I will meditate.

Today, I will fall into the sea-foam eyes of my child and see the world from his point-of-view.

Today, I will sit on my porch in the early morning, while my child and husband sleep. Dear sunrise, I love your promise, your color, your sparkle. Gentle hush of the morning, sweet stillness, you reveal the divine.

Today, now, right now, I will make a choice to abide in hope.

I must. We must!

Our children, this earth, our allies, our friends, they are all counting on us to keep the light of hope alive. Dumbledore was right: “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Today, I am turning on the light of hope. I am lighting a candle in her honor.

Will you join me?

Call to Action: What can you do, right now, to find and nurture hope?