[hohp] noun.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'm lucky. 

Really lucky. 

My close friends know I've gone through a lot in my life. Yet, whenever I think about it, I always feel like my troubles are nothing compared to so much that I see and hear. But that's not why I'm lucky.


What about my family and friends? All those tight knit people that know me for me. Absolutely I love all of them, but not why I'm lucky.



(Cue the traditional holiday blessings speech about having a roof over my head and plenty of food, water and clothing) Of course, I am absolutely thankful for that. And truly blessed. But it's not why I'm lucky.

No. I was thinking today about hope. About what it means. About how powerful a word it is. About how powerful a concept it is.

Hope, to me, is staring adversity in the face and believing in the ability to overcome it.

It's not the act of overcoming. It's the belief.

Power is often given to actions. And this is certainly not unjustified. But when actions fail, it's hope that causes you to try again. In fact, hope often springs from the near insurmountable odds that accompany difficult times. It's light to fill the darkness.

No matter how blessed we are, everyone has good days and bad days. Everyone has moments of elation and disillusionment. Everyone has times when they struggle, and some when they are unable to find hope. And I'm lucky because I always seem to find it. And I am never happier than when I am hopeful.

Happy New Year. Be Safe. Stay Hopeful.