One Word

     Recently a friend of mine posted one word she was going to try to live by in 2023. Words like "perseverance" and "grow" populated her Facebook wall. Without really thinking about it, I flippantly wrote what  popped into my head. But after thinking about it for a minute, I realized my error and want a do-over on the word choice.

        My updated one-word  selection? Hope. Hope can fill your heart and give you strength to face a perilous circumstance with confidence. Hope can fill you with expectations of brighter, better days to come. Hope can give you energy and something to hang onto to combat the negative Nellie thoughts that can fill your mind when hope is absent or vacationing

    Maybe you're hoping for a raise this year. Or a significant relationship. Or a restored relationship. Or relief. Even without knowing it, you can be filled with that elusive substance. You may not realize you have hope in a situation until you stop and really look at yourself. Hope helps take us to a whole new level. Hp[e helps us take another step when we're so spent we don't think we can. Hope says we can. Hope is a belief or trust that circumstances will improve, that things will get better. 

    Hope isn't for losers. When I watch football with my husband, and he rants and yells at the players who can't hear him, I am filled with hope. When he wants to switch a game off because his team is losing, I interject hopeful words about the team. I am hopeful until the end. It's why I tune in every Sunday or Saturday or Friday.It's why I text my brother and sister during a game. I am filled with hope that my team will prevail. If my team  is down, I listen in hope, knowing my team is one play away from turning the tide  to victory,  I hope for a pick or some other positive turn of events.  Why watch and  text if you think your team is going lose?

    The absence of hope is dispair. That feeling of having no hope can be debilitating. A sense of hopeless   can overwhelm us, leading to a sense of despondency.  You can get so mired in that slough, you may feel escspe is unattainable. When hope vacates your life, work at getting it baAck. Think positive thoughts. Lick out negativity.

    Someone may confuse optimism and hope, and I guess you can't be optimistic without having hope.You are optimistic because you have  hope. No matter the circumstances, you still will tbe hopeful of the outcome.      

    I saw something the other day that filled me with hope. It was touted as being a breakthrough for people who suffer from Parkinson's. I saw it at my PD class last week. It was a spot on a device referred to as  Parkinson's glove.  Clients who wore the gloves a  mere four hours  a day showed outstanding  results. People who suffer from the symptoms of  Parkinson I have, responded with amazing results. It's news like this that gives me hope, Hope that this disease won't win. I will.

    So my updated word is hope. What's yours?




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