Hope

I started to write this blog post last week and it just didn't feel right. I was in a super weird place and just feeling so overwhelmed and pretty lonely. So I decided to reach out via social media to my "friends".  To see what brings you all hope. So I wanted to share what I learned from the messages, comments, texts, and kind words that everyone shared with me. Along with the original thoughts from my post. 

 These past two years have been no joke really for anyone in the world. We've all struggled, felt hopeless, or let down. We've given more than we thought we had inside of us. 

I read a lot of books, watch a pretty good amount of TV, and love to take myself to the movies. The older I get the more I realize that there is one theme that I look for in a story more than any other

Hope. 

I am a self proclaimed hopeless romantic.  I love me a good love story. I used to think that was what I wanted most in a story. While that's true to a small degree I've found that a message of hope means more to me than anything else. It's one of the reasons that I HATE the hunger games last book (I guess I should give a spoiler warning here, but also the books, and movies, have been out for forever so meh) I hate that the first two books are filled with this fighting chance, these small victories towards change. They show people making epic sacrifices in the face of oppression. Then the series ends and it's almost like Katniss is like, well I guess we brought down the dictator, and I got married and had some kids. There is just this monumental lack of hope. I can endure a sad, even heart breaking story if the end result shows hope for a better future, or a sense of overall strength from their adversities. 

This love of hope is the reason that in the 2nd Lord of the Rings I cheer when Gandolf shows up just as the sun is rising over the battle of Helm's deep. It's the reason that watching Captain America being willing to stand alone in front of Thanos in the final battle of End Game makes me cry every time. 

I could give you a forever long list of book and movie moments that embody this sense of hope. 

As I have considered these examples as well as all your beautiful messages of hope one major thing that has stood out to me is people. 

People are who give me hope. 

We were NEVER meant to exist in this life alone. We aren't supposed to be able to be 100% successful alone. We need one another. To help. To love. To lift.

One of my favorite quotes that one of my dear friends shared was from Mr. Rogers,

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."

The message behind this quote (to me) is that we need one other, and rarely do we even begin to understand what a huge impact we can have on each other. 

Life is still hard. I know I'm going to have good days, and bad days. But the thing that matters most is that we keep going. We keep trying. We reach out for help when we need it. We find hope in the goodness of those around us. 

If you are like me and life is a little bit heavy right now, just know that I'm always here. Sometimes it helps our own load feel lighter when we help carry someone else's for a bit. I would love to help carry your load, even if it's only for a few minutes. 

We need each other. Hope is found when we have something, and often someone, to believe in. And when you get a little bit of encouragement and hope from someone you love, pay it forward. Because the world can ALWAYS use more hope, love, and compassion. 

We've got this. It's ok to not be ok. But that doesn't mean you have to be not okay for forever. There are people in your life who love you, and want what's best for you. 

If you made it this far, thanks. If you reached out, sent prayers, or even just a little care reaction to my original post, thank you. It meant the world to me. I wish I could have typed up every single sweet word to share here, just know they meant a lot.

There is always hope. May we find it in each other, 

Love,

Nae