“Hope…is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has the power within him for the gift for miracles.” Samuel Smiles.
Hope. Hope! This Easter weekend I think it’s quite timely to talk about hope. That’s what Easter is really all about isn’t it? Death being conquered. It sure isn’t about bunnies pooping chocolate. (Before I get too high on my high horse I did, of course, hide chocolate bunny poo-eggs and even colored some eggs with Ellie. Ben supervised)
After Trump bombed Syria I had nightmares about nuclear bombs dropping on us. In my dream Bill and I were debating whether to run from the blast or whether it was better just to stay put. Ellie and Ben were in the dream with us. And I thought, what crazy audacity of hope had struck me to bring these tender souls into this world?
Other Americans don’t seem to have this fear – is it they think they’re invincible or they’re just more stoic than I am and won’t talk about their fears? Or maybe they’re just used to living in a more volatile political atmosphere. I am obviously still adjusting.
I don’t talk politics much anymore – the climate isn’t conducive to rational conversations. I suppose that’s the most important time to talk about hard issues but I’m a new mom and I don’t have the energy to engage with the crazy right now.
So, hope. I don’t believe there is ever ‘false hope’. Hope is never false. Hope eases burdens and helps us imagine a better future. It isn’t naive to stubbornly hope for better – if someone didn’t tenaciously hold on to hope we wouldn’t have cars. Or telephones. Or radios. Or babies.
Someone smarter than me said…worry and fear of a thing only makes us suffer twice. I have found this to be the case.
This month I am participating once again in Deepak’s Chopra and Oprah’s (Oprah 2020!!) 21 day meditation and it’s on…Hope. 21 days thinking and meditating and praying about hope sounds like a nice hot bath on a cold winter’s day. What are you hoping for? I’m hoping for time to do yoga, three times a week. For my relationships to be mutually fulfilling and healthy. To feel vibrant and healthy. And a bigger house, why not? With a pool. A career that makes me feel excited to get up in the morning. To be more spiritually tuned in.
What are YOU hoping for? It’s never silly to hope. Never wrong to dream. Indeed if we had less self-doubt and more confident striding forward in hope, the world would be brighter, better, or at least, more interesting.
“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” Samuel Smiles
Angela Yeh - Fantasy Author. Dragon Enthusiast. Optimist. 
