Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position, it is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism. Each redemptive or loving act as small as you like, such as reading to your little boy or showing him a thing you love or singing him a song or putting on his shoes keeps the devil down in the hole. It says the world and its inhabitants have value and are worth defending. It says the world is worth believing in. In time we come to find that this is so. – Nick Cave
As we wind up the old year and look toward the new, let’s make a serious case for hope. Let’s not ever give up on young people and newborns all over this blue and green planet; they are smarter and more connected than we ever were. They also deserve better, always, from the older adults in the room, including a total abandonment and rejection of cynicism.
You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. – Michelle Obama
Every year at this time I spent a day or two or three writing down all of my successes for the year gone by, as well as my failures. I am often surprised by the longer list (successes, always), as well as by the similarities in those items of ‘losing’ to what was written last year and the year before that. How silly some of my self-judgements are, and how tired. Then, on New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s Day, I read them back to myself, bless them, give thanks for them, forgive myself for my failings – and then I let them all go. This means whoosh, they’re up and away in flames, either outside over my burn barrel, or inside in my wood stove. Letting go, not allowing yourself to be weighed down by the past – good, bad, indifferent – is essential. Unburden yourself. Create space for the new, inside yourself and out. Let go.
The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. – Barbara Kingsolver
I also inevitably make a list of what I hope for in the New Year. I just found the list for 2025, and how far I have come! And, how unlike my list the years turned out to be for reasons both in and out of my control. Life can be funny that way, surprising you along the journey. Staying open, and curious, about it all. A sense of humor helps, too.
Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. – John Barrymore