Good Morning, Dear Creator!
The weather’s been cold enough these last few days, but I wonder if the flora and fauna know something more, that maybe spring is right around the corner.
Certainly, the amount of daylight has lengthened, and the sun is higher up in the sky. Are the birds already journeying back toward their summer homes? There was even a beetle crawling around in the warmth of the sun.
Welcome Spring!
This week we’ve got a stretch of 50 degree days forecasted, and there’s a network of trails that have been closed temporarily for mud season.
Even so, we set out yesterday to hike a new trail just north of us, near the Connecticut River, only to find the trailhead thickly iced over. My hunch is that this area is shaded and down in the river valley, where colder air settles overnight, refreezing the minimal melting that’s been occurring during the days. The crust of ice was thick, and the trail was sloped enough that we decided attempting the hike yesterday was just too risky, so we turned back and visited a local bookstore instead.
There is a tangent to this that I’m going to follow. The essence of getting one’s hope up. The warning – “Don’t get your hopes up!” The apology – “I’m sorry if I got your hopes up!”
If we take the time to recognize what is really going on, is there really anything to warn against or apologize for?
What it means, when we get our hopes up, is that we’ve clearly identified something we wish to bring into our life; some experience that we imagine would delight and satisfy us.
There’s an energy that we tap into when we hope. We hold a vision, like the peak at the end of a mountain trail that pulls us upward, through the miles of low ground and sloping forest.
There’s this recurring implication, in the warning against and apologizing for following our hopes, that it is unacceptable, unbearable failure to not consummate our hopes.
Now, I grew up believing that, and I still know plenty of people who are quick to jettison any dream or hope if they think there’s a possibility it won’t or can’t materialize.
I can’t…write a book, run a marathon, learn to cook, travel alone, travel overseas, travel alone overseas, play the guitar, learn to meditate, etc. So many hopes that we have but try to let go of, when we tell ourselves we’re not sure we can achieve them.
Our hopes and dreams are our fuel and our compass; they tell us which direction we want to go and give us the energy to move.
There is a type of energy called potential energy. Playgrounds are full of potential energy – like when you’re sitting high on a see-saw, potential energy is that stored energy that is just waiting for you to pivot back down. Or, when you’re on a swing, and you’ve swung backward as high as you can, and there’s that moment of frozen stillness before you start back down – all that downward energy is held right there, in you and that system.
Dare to hope – it’s the only way to tap your potential. Sometimes you won’t achieve your hope. So what? Let go of judgment and approval. It’s so much fun to play and try. It, in fact, is the only way to achieve any dream. If you never try, you’ll never achieve any dream.
Today’s Prompt:
Take 1 minute and make a quick list of as many hopes that jump into your mind as you can. Don’t think or brood about them; just write.
Dear Guides diving into My Hopes for a Great Day! Thanks!
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