March 2, 2021 - I am feeling a lot of hope. There are more COVID vaccines available. Every day is literally getting brighter. I decided I should look into what the word “hope” actually is. Here is something I found on Wikipedia:

“Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.”

The thing that struck me about this definition is that I recognized that hope has nothing do with results, or even a good reason to be hopeful about results. Nothing in this definition talks about the outcome. It’s all about making a choice of looking toward a brighter future.

After reading this I decided further research was indicated. I came across an article by Dale Archer in Psychology Today entitled “The Power of Hope.” He talks about how he had worked in New Orleans helping people after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and he realized there were two types of victims. The first were those types of people who were in despair and consumed by what they lost and looking backwards, and the other were those that were hopeful and grieved over what they lost but were optimistically looking to the future. Their difference in attitudes had nothing to do with what they lost, how much money they hard, or if there was a logical “reason” to be hopeful. Instead, some chose to have an attitude of hope, and some focused on despair.

Hope is a feeling and attitude that can be practiced and cultivated every day, so let’s do that! Hope feels good. Why be hopeful? Because you can be!