Definition of HOPE- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
There was a moment about two weeks ago that I had a realization that not only had I been lacking any direction for finding what path I wanted to take for a career, I had lost hope along the way for regaining my professional life. I hadn’t realized I had lost hope until I started to feel it come back. I had been feeling a shift in my soul, very subtle, but there was this feeling that my desires for a life filled with beautiful, impactful moments was obtainable. It felt like my soul was coming alive again. I wanted to chase things and help people in a way that truly makes the world a better place.
I think it started in small ways, but it took compounding over time to really make a difference I could feel. First, I needed to be humbled and my humbling took form of a young man on a street washing car windows for money. I shook my head “no” then he motioned if I had anything to eat or drink. This broke my heart, I quickly remembered I had an apple and motioned him over before the street light changed. He was so grateful, for that apple something I don’t even consider a luxury. At that moment all I could think was I wish I had more for this young man and how lucky I am. I had taken that apple and my whole life for granted. I had wallowed in my issues for so long that I was missing the world around me. This has been weighing on my heart and I truly believe that is what started to set my soul on fire once more. The thought that I could sit around, sad about my own losses, losses that are recoverable, or I could look outside of my situation and start to think how I could help or impact others.
It is so easy today to be self-consumed, even when our selves revolve around our career, kids, and family. I am guilty of it and it has truly been a great downfall for me. The core of who I am is to be kind and compassionate, and while I give those traits to my family and friends, I am more reserved in those traits to the strangers I meet on the street. I will smile and hold a door open for you, but when is the last time I gave my time working for a food pantry or saw someone who was upset and reached out, even if I did not know them. I see women who are frazzled in the line at the grocery store, two small kids, and they just look defeated. I want to run up to that woman and say you are doing a great job, but when have I had the courage to reach out. I think I am being called to reach out and I think if I stop being consumed with my world then I will truly find myself once more. There it is my friends, hope that I can find myself, hope for making a difference in the lives of the humans I share this planet with, hope for humanity, just hope.
Hope fills you with the sense of possibilities that you can figure out who you are, where you are going, and how you want to spend your precious days in this life. Hope makes you realize that you have potential, that you are amazing, and that you can dream, and you can find a way to make that dream a reality.
Hope is powerful, may your week be filled with that power.
Conquering Momma,
Charity