Five places to find hope…where you’d least expect it!
This is a guest post.
Sometimes there are reasons for hope but we just can’t see them. Maybe we’re too busy, rushing by simple joys and pleasures. Or we look for hope in the old familiar places but brush right by new ones where we might not think to look.
Here are some exercises to practice if you want to find hope in some unexpected places. Each exercise will bolster your appreciation for life’s wonders – and result in much more hope in your life. And guess what? They can actually be fun.
Exercise 1 – One picture a day
For the period of a week, a month, or even a year take one picture a day of the people and things that make life ‘go round’ for you. Take a snapshot of the people who help you every day – the mechanic who keeps your car going or the day-care provider who loves your child, even folks you see every day like your mail carrier or the cashier at the grocery store who always asks about your family. Use that camera phone to look for beauty in the natural world – the flaming maple tree on your street, the red tomatoes coming up in a garden or the dog that always welcomes you home with tail wagging enthusiasm. Take a photo of things that help make your life work; your car; good winter coat; your canoe or kayak, bicycle or skis, stereo, piano, guitar, books, great food.
Exercise 2 – Pay attention to the best qualities in people
Notice people’s faithfulness to each other, whether as friends, siblings, spouses, or business colleagues. Who hangs in there for others in the long haul? Look for people who exhibit generosity and kindness like the nurse at a doctor’s office who goes out of her way to escort an elderly patient to the car, a child who shares his valuable toys or parents who make sacrifices for their children. Find someone who has made a huge change in their life that no one expected. Maybe you know a recovering addict who found sobriety or a student who struggled in school but made a breakthrough with academics. Maybe you even know someone who spent time in jail but has lived a healthy life ever since. Even ordinary looking people around you have waged battles and come out the other side a better person.
Exercise 3 – Each day for one month, practice savoring life with your senses.
Cultivate wonder, curiosity, amazement and a willingness to be surprised by using ALL your senses. On Monday, pay attention to smells and your remarkable nose. On Tuesday, focus on sounds and your amazing ears. On Wednesday focus on sight and the miracle of your eyes. On Thursday notice everything that touches your skin whether it’s sunlight, a breeze or the hand of someone who cares about you. On Friday use your sense of taste to enjoy the most delicious food! Each day focusing on a particular taste will help you enjoy the simple pleasures
Exercise 4 – Make a list of all that you have survived.
You know many people – family, work colleagues, friends or any other members of your personal network – that have survived some challenging times. Make a list of these people. I think you’ll be amazed at the way people find equilibrium and exhibit resilience no matter what life has thrown at them. Seeing others’ experiences of endurance can give you something to lean on in the future – more hope!
Exercise 5 – Remember there are a lot of things that are RIGHT in the world.
Too often the news stories are filled with sad or disturbing events. Take some time to notice stories in the media, whether it’s on paper, on TV or radio, or online, about things that are good in this world. I think you’ll find a lot more positives out there than you might imagine. There’s hope!
Written by Julie Neraas
Julie Neraas is the author of Apprenticed to Hope A Sourcebook for Difficult Times.
She is an ordained minister, spiritual director and associate professor at Hamline University and speaks regularly about hope; where it can guide you, how it can sustain you and what meaning it can bring to your life.
For more information visit www.julieneraas.com.
Article photo by Yandle
4 Responses to “Five places to find hope…where you’d least expect it!”
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Thanks for this great post Julie! I really like the one picture a day idea.
Thanks again for writing this for us.
-Andrew
Thanks Julie for this post. This was a different way of finding hope that is new to me. It wasn’t the “pray-for-hope” or “I-hope…” type strategies. It was seeing a positive quality in mundane areas of our everyday life, which I thought was a pretty cool way of finding hope.
Great article. I like the last three most. The one about things I survived reminded me of a war in Croatia.. We survived that when I was still a kid. And what’s amazing is that for the long time it seemed like that’s all normal.
Things that are right in the world.. I’d say a lot of it has to do with science, technology and certain honest businesses.
Hey Daniel,
Glad you liked Julie’s post.
I completely understand what you mean by thinking that a huge adversity is normal after awhile, especially when you’re a kid. I felt the same way about many of the major struggles I overcame. I kind of brushed them aside most of my life because I thought it wasn’t a big deal that I overcame them. But now, I know the magnitude of what I’ve done.
-Andrew