Hope is the Lens that Gives us Courage

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

Written during Covid

I follow several daily blogs, posts and inspirational sites as a part of my morning ritual. I usually discover a common thread that encourages me through my day. The word hope came alive in a new way. This particular time in our lives, as we face the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need for hope. When the student is ready, the teacher appears, and so it was today.

There is a drastic difference between the kind of hope that could easily be substituted with the word wish and the hope that is critical at this time. “I hope it doesn’t rain today.” “I hope you have a nice day.” “I hope I get a raise.” None of the well-wishes are hope; they are mere expressions of desire with no sense of surety. Real hope is a frame of mind that always believes that goodness will prevail. The synonyms of hope are confidence, courage, and promise. Some people are born with the gift of optimism, and that is a significant part of hope. Others are raised in an environment where a positive view of life is imparted as children. Many people come to this confidence through faith. When you believe in a higher power, your belief is in the goodness of that power.

It is time to lean into genuine hope, to trust in the goodness of this universe and the creator that formed it. Hope and fear are opposites. It is essential to dwell on hope and resist the temptation to live in fear. Hope becomes the lens that gives us courage. We can deal with uncertainty when we have hope. This pandemic will resolve, and there will be positive things that come from it. In a similar time as today, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” Hope is the lens with which we view this challenge.

"It's all good in the end, and if it's not good, it's not the end."

From The Very Best Marigold Hotel