Hope is a waking dream
— Aristotle
It’s not easy, holding on to hope. I like to think of it as a daily practice, but struggle is a more apt descriptor.
I’m visiting a friend back east. It is the beginning of November when everything is living and dying in the same moment. In lush forests, leaves are turning yellow and brown, fluttering to the ground; waterfalls have scoured out potholes in the rocks; sunlight and warmth emerge from behind the clouds, then immediately disappear. A ground squirrel is hoarding acorns. A crow caws in the distance. All around is evidence of growth and decay.
Walking along the back roads, I’m filled with joy. And hope. I practice gratitude. I’m reassured by the uncertainty about what tomorrow might bring.
I don’t watch the news anymore. I know my limits—but still, I read the headlines.
Another revenge indictment. Millions on the brink of losing SNAP benefits and healthcare. More brown people carted off by ICE.
I’m saddened, but I brush aside my fears because what else can I do? Like Groundhog Day, the next morning I walk again, notice how the sun warms my back. A crescent of morning moon floats above the horizon. More crows. A fox scampers away in the woods near my cabin.
Four more killed in fishing boat strike. The east wing of our White House demolished. It appears that in Utah, it’s against the law to be homeless.
My daily practice has disintegrated, like those dried leaves scattered on the ground.
I look to others for hope.
Finding Hope in the Words of Jane Goodall
With the passing of Jane Goodall, Netflix posthumously released her final interview, Famous Last Words. Filmed in March and held confidential until her death in October, the beloved Goodall is feisty, wise—and full of hope.
“If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world—if you want to save the planet for future generations—then think about the actions you take each day.”
I’m reminded of the expression time heals all wounds. But it’s not true. Time doesn’t heal all wounds—unless something happens in the liminal space between then and now. Healing―and hope―require action.
Finding Hope in the Unexpected
Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.
― Shel Silverstein
Sometimes, change emerges out of tragedy. COVID. The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. The stockmarket crash of 1929. The 1911 Shirtwaist Factory fire. All led to significant social and political change.
Naomi Klein, journalist, filmmaker, and author of Doppleganger (2023), emphasizes what she calls utopian imagination. If we are going to create a different world, then we have to collectively envision that world, we have to know where we want to go.
Even small acts can shift the world: my own town, San Luis Obispo, was the first in the U.S. to ban smoking in indoor restaurants and bars back in 1990. People feared the worst, but the opposite happened and businesses thrived.
Other examples once seemed impossible: seatbelts, designated drivers, recycling programs. I protested during the Vietnam War; I look back on that time as an era of hope and possibility.
Hope with Others
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.
— Emily Dickinson
Let’s be honest—hope isn’t for the faint of heart. I’m blessed with a circle of friends and family who inspire me. We complain together, grieve together, fear together. We also pull each other back from the brink. And we celebrate, protest, and dream together.
Hope Is an Act of Resistance
Hope is the understanding that what we do matters.
By holding on to hope, we create space for change. We prepare for the future through our daily actions—through our refusal to give up, through our shared vision of a better world.
We cannot hold on to hope alone. Only together we will be prepared for tomorrow.
Explore More
If this piece resonates, you might enjoy:
- Hope Arrives Like the Tap-Tap-Tapping of a Woodpecker
- Where Are You G-d? A Letter to My Non-Jewish Friends about Israel, Gaza, and Holding Two Truths
You can also find my novels Thin Places and Cross Body Lead at Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos and wherever paperbacks and ebooks are sold.
🌿 #Hope #JaneGoodall #Inspiration #Resilience #Activism #SocialJustice #Change #Democracy #Mindfulness #Healing #EnvironmentalAction
