Vignettes in Aging – Hope
Photo by Rodrigo Rodriguez on Unsplash

What is hope? Hope is that feeling of trust … trust that things can be better.

Hope is age-less, timeless, and without constraints. Hope can be that soft place to fall.

There is a quality in hope that brings comfort and reassurance that all the negativism we create and that is created around us will not drown our joy and happiness in the future.

Happiness and optimism cannot exist without hope, but hope can exist without happiness or optimism. Hope can hold you up and create resilience and strength when you feel weak. Hope can be your best friend.

When you have hope, you have all those good substances (dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin) that circulate through our bodies promoting well-being and energy for living.

Once gone, hope can be difficult to recapture. It requires a willingness to see what works and what doesn’t, without fear of failure … as a bigger part of lifelong learning and growing.

How can we create hope in our lives?

  • take stock of your life and see what is working and what isn’t
  • be kind to your body and manage stress, spend time in silence
  • be with others who have hopeful lives and avoid those who dwell in drama and negativism
  • be the elder role model of hope in your family and among friends
  • visualize a positive future

Even in the toughest of times, when things don’t go as planned, with hope you will be okay. Hope will get you through anything.