[What a few weeks we've had here in the United States.
For some, it's been a time of lifetime dreams coming true. For others, it's a blatant display of disregard for the life they've been fighting to extend for generations and generations.
Throw a birthday in the mix and it's the perfect recipe for drunken fireworks accidents and mass shootings by white terrorists at the city parade.
All of it encouraged me to share some thoughts and strategies I've developed over the years that have resulted in me feeling like I still have hope, even in these tumultuous times.
I share this because I love you, and I want all of us to make it through this healthy, happy, and with equity in our system. I can't do much about your happiness, but I can share what undergirds mine, and maybe you'll find some tools you can use too.
Is It Real to Say "I Have Hope"?
So is it authentic, or ostentatious, for me to say "I have hope" when the whole world appears to be going to hell in a handbasket?
Only you can decide what's true for you. But I will say I loved Susan Cain's book, Bittersweet, because it helped me understand why I can exist so easily at the intersection of grief and hope. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I've done it for a long time, so I promise it wasn't easy or an overnight process. You may or may not be like me in that way, but I promise, even if you aren't, you can find hope even in desperate times. I say this with so much confidence because of who I've chosen to learn from over the past 8 years or so.
Where the Hope Series Starts: Looking in the Mirror
To keep this simple, I broke my thoughts down into a series called How to Have Hope in Desperate Times. Right now, there are 7 bite-sized videos that represent months of work. I'll spread them out here on the blog, with context and resources for each one.
Before we dive in, here's your warning: the next four posts are about looking in the mirror.
That's how important our own self is in the recipe of how to have hope. We have to dig in deep to the who, what, how, why, and when of our individual existence on this planet. I'll take you through that thoroughly over the next four posts.
But right now, go look in a mirror and tell yourself: "Wow. You are awesome. A miracle. A real gift to the world."
Talk soon. I love you.