Life Experiences That Give Hope
• Witnessing unexpected kindness - Those moments when
someone goes out of their way to help another without expecting anything in
return remind us of the fundamental goodness that exists in humanity, even
during challenging times.
We also know that our brain releases feel-good chemicals
when we show kindness to others, received kindness ourselves and witness the
kindness – it’s the ultimate win/win/win.
• Recovering from failure or setback - The experience
of falling down but finding the strength to get back up proves our resilience
and teaches us that difficulties are temporary, not permanent conditions of
life.
It’s often when we may need to ask for help or acknowledge
that we can’t do everything on our own. I want to be the kind of person that
people come to when they need support, and I also want to be willing to ask for
help when I need it.
• Reconnecting with old friends - When relationships
survive distance and time, it demonstrates that meaningful connections can
endure and even deepen, showing us that some bonds transcend circumstance. Are
you good at keeping in touch? That’s something I’d like to do a better job of –
my mom was great at this. She kept in touch with letters and cards – and then
phone calls with people for year. To this day, she still gets phione calls from
a woman who befriended her when they were stationed in Florida in the 60’s. Her
friend is in her 90’s and my mom is in her 80’s and they still do that.
So much of life feels planned – we have routines and
structure and I’m glad for that too – who wants chaos? Not me – a nice surprise
now and then – that’s cool. I remind myself and I want to remind you too that
you can Be intentional about the kind of day you want to have, the kind of
person you want to be. There’s hope in choosing. Here’s to a great day today
and an even better tomorrow.
