The Action of Hope

“But hope can heal us, for hope unsettles us with the passionate unrest that propels us toward great things, and it is imagination that gives us the entrance ticket into the hope-filled world of possibility.”― The Irish Jesuits

“The only recognizable feature of hope is action.”― Grace Paley

Fall to winter.
Short days.
Long nights.
Cold winds.
Downshift to second gear.
Slowing.
Resisting.
Resting.
Light brighter in the dark.
When it makes no sense is when joy makes the most sense.
Where it does its work.
Beauty, hope, kindness – healing balms.
Life jackets to keep our head above water.
Ropes that pull us through when we are too tired to push.
Detours, delays, potholes, four-way stops where no one knows whose turn it is.
This is the stuff of life.
We choose daily to participate or spectate.
To criticize or create.
To judge or love.
Channel, guide, direct your energy, attention, time, ability.
Laughter is a sister of light.
Shaking us from complacency, self-pity, licking our wounds into the present moment.
Engage with life fully.
The whole messy thing.
Cast light, love, peace.

“The difference between a life lived actively, and a life of passive drifting and dispersal of energies, is an immense difference. Once we begin to feel committed to our lives, responsible to ourselves, we can never again be satisfied with the old, passive way.”― Adrienne Rich