Little notes.
Small things.
Bit by bit.
Repeated.
Reinforced.
I think that’s the secret (that’s not really a secret). To move forward and not stop.
I’ve been walking or riding my bike almost every day for the last month - about an hour each day. I don’t feel awesome or triumphant. I often feel tired, my brain feels full, I forget to let my thoughts go. I don’t know if I’m getting stronger. I thiiiiink I migggggght be? It’s incremental. Like unmeasurably small. But it IS something.
I don’t know. It’s such a little thing, these hope notes. But I really believe that when we turn our hearts toward something, even if there isn’t a ton of evidence, or change, even if there is nothing noticeable, even if it SEEMS like life is the same old, same old, IT IS STILL WORTH IT.
It’s also the way we get crusty and bitter. Bit by bit. Moment by moment. One day at a time. It’s the only way to do anything.
So why not hope? It’s like a bright little thread that weaves in and out of our days. Sometimes it’s plain to see and other times it disappears behind the scenes, but it’s always worth looking for.
Acknowledge reality.
Look for hope.
Choose beauty.
Imagine possibilities.
I was reading “Simplicity: the Freedom of Letting Go” by Richard Rohr. He asks people to “simply sit in silence for six minutes. With this exercise there’s no such thing as success or failure. The important thing is to see it through.”
This is exactly what I’m learning. Hope. There’s no such thing as success or failure. Just keep at it. Choose it - however it works for you. Just don’t quit.