Some friends of mine were recently discussing places in Rhode Island, apparently Hope is the name of the road that they were trying to find places near. I, however, heard it differently. Anything off hope. It makes sense doesn’t it? Anything that is connected to hope. Meaning. Purpose. Connection. Compassion. Faith. Love. Light. Laughter. The list could go on. I feel like these are just a few of the many that could be “off hope”. Like rays from the sun, anything off hope can warm the heart and soul.
For whatever reason this citation of words resonated with me on this particular day. I have been grieving a lot in my life and this seemed to reverberate some light into the sadness. Grief strikes in mysterious ways. For me it can plague my spiritual practice and challenge my faith in myself, the universe, and the things that I trust the most. It can cut me to the core and always, always, challenges me to change. After I have waded through these waters I am often grateful, but floating for a while can be quite painful at times.
So, how do we hold onto hope? Or, anything off hope for that matter. I know for me it is reminding myself of the beauty in the world. Though given all that is going on these days, we have to know where to look. We must see it in the simple things. The kindness among people at the coffee shop. The laughter of children on the playground. The elderly couple holding hands as they try to make the crosswalk light. (The hope is obviously both that they make the light and that there can be this deep lasting love in the world.) Hope is in the now.
Hope is defined as:
(noun)
a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
a feeling of trust.
(verb)
want something to happen or be the case.
I guess I didn’t even realize until just now that hope’s definition is a feeling of trust. I am someone who by nature has always had a deep sense of trust in the universe and her plan. Her timing, she and I could chat about, but her plan, yes, it always seems to make sense. I mean, it makes sense after the fact, I am not saying while in the midst of your life on fire that it makes any sense at all. BUT AFTER, wow is it fucking beautiful.
I’m not sure where I am landing with all of this. Perhaps I am just landing right back where I started, where I belong, aligned with anything off hope. It’s peaceful here, I think I will stay awhile.
Let’s rise,
ah
(Side note about this photo: I like to paint intentions on my walls before painting the entirety of the room. So this resides in my bedroom beneath my gray walls. I had been texting one of my soul sister friends about hope and my struggle to find it. This was her response.)