“Once you choose hope anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve
When it comes to super hero movies, Super Man has always been my favorite. Especially the ones with Christopher Reeve as Superman. I don’t know whether it was his natural acting or his honest eyes that made me love the wonderful actor. Christopher Reeve, who played Superman, became paralyzed from the neck down after a horse riding accident.
When asked about life and hope he said: “Once you choose hope anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve
Amazingly, it is often those facing the greatest adversity in life who show us ways of accessing the greatest hope.
Although we use the word hope frequently in our daily life, how we use it is also interesting.
How often do we say?
- I hope so
- I feel hopeful
- I hope things work out
- I hope you’re feeling better
- I’m hoping for good weather.
We talk about having hope for the future and the need to instill hope in our children. When times are bleak we reinforce hope within our families through love, commitment and time.
The simplest definition of hope is expectation, trust, anticipation, optimism. To have hope is to dream, to aspire, to plan, to have faith, to take chances, to prospect, to believe in superb likelihoods and possibilities. Hope is a sense of renewal, a confident desire, a looking forward, a feeling that something awesome is likely to happen.
What is the opposite of hope?
The opposite of hope is despair –In despair hope seems lost.
We believe that good things happen for others but never to us. We feel hopless, alone, uncertain. Our expectations leave us and our existence feels limited. With limited expectations hope is limited. With a limited sense of self, our hope is limited.
Healing with Hope
“Hope is always available to us. When we feel defeated, we need only take a deep breath and say, “Yes,” and hope will reappear.” ~ Monroe Forester
A few years back, while I was shifting base to a new city, I was caught in a fierce storm of emotions, problems and hurdles, which were hindering me finding the ‘right’ home for us in the new city. The storm was frightening in its intensity, mirroring my inner fears of moving homes, of beginning again.
As it became impossible to see, I was forced to breakdown one night and there I wept out my fears as I waited for the worst of storms to pass.
In my despair my focus was on the darkness – of all I was losing, of all I didn’t know and couldn’t see ahead. I remember thinking that both the outer conditions and my inner thoughts resembled a long black tunnel with no light at the end. Eventually my heart felt at peace and I fell exhausted into sleep.
Imagine then, to my pleasant surprise the next morning, when I discovered the house I was to rent(the 45th one I saw in a span of one week, with my real-estate broker) lay bathed in sunshine, amidst a glorious garden awash with scented peace and beauty. I entered the home and said ‘yes! this is it!’
Then it occurred to me that while I was weeping my fears in the darkness, this glorious home was already waiting for me, just around the corner, just out of sight, but already there – already a part of my future reality.
It also made me realize, that HOPE is never really lost. I thought in my darkest hour that there was no hope…but my heart knew better and let me sleep over it.
When we can see Beyond, that’s Hope
To hope is to risk pain. But the reward is a more positive, happier and healed life.
Its best to let go of your attachment to the outcome!
While we are deciding and controlling the end result, we don’t allow the monumental field of possibilities that is open to us just beyond our vision.
As I mentioned before about actor Christopher Reeve, here is what he did with his HOPE for a better world: Although he required a wheelchair and breathing apparatus for the rest of his life after his accident, he lobbied on behalf of people with spinal-cord injuries and for human embryonic stem cell research, founding the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Center. To read more about his life and works click here.
For me, having my hope, fully realized, is to accept where I am now – in the present – the power of NOW. The paradox is that as I fully accept where I am now, I can begin to hope for the brightest most positive future. Healing then comes more naturally.
Where there is hope there is healing.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” ~ Dale Carnegie
What are your thoughts on this topic? Are you a HOPE FULL person? How has HOPE helped you in your life and what has it made you realize? Do share your wisdom in the comments below. I’d love to hear your glorious thoughts on this hope full topic.
♥♥”Thank you SO much for reading! Please, share this article on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet makes me reach more people who need a positive healing nudge in their lives. I truly appreciate you!”♥♥
With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~
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Hi Zeenat,
Hope is the sunshine of our life, it endows us with the courage to face all the setbacks, all the failures, all the disappointments, whispering into our ears – ‘this will pass, you will get over it, we shall overcome’. Hope speaks to us in our prayers, guiding our faith, strengthening it with every passing day that we spend in despair but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel what our emotions compel us to go through…we may brood, shed tears and feel disheartened but hope wins in the end. That is the magic of this emotion – HOPE!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they would keep the hopes alive in many hearts. Read my poem Hope is Alive, which I had written in a moment of despair :http://balroop2013.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/hope-is-alive/
Hi Balroop,
Such beautiful words and thoughts coming from you 🙂 Thank you for sharing them and for sharing your poem link. I will definitely check it out.
Much Love~
Hope is the dim light at the end of the tunnel. It’s what’s helped me keep going.
But there was a time where I relied on nothing but hope. I kept expecting and wishing things to change, even though I wasn’t doing anything to make them better. It made me realise that I can’t always simply rely on wishful thinking to make things better. I have to be hopeful. But I also have to act in accordance with that hope.
Hope is the light. Action is what will get us to that light. Without either, we’ll be trapped in the dark.
Raghib,
You are bang on target when you say ” I have to be hopeful. But I also have to act in accordance with that hope.” ….that realization alone can catapult you into DOing so much.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom here.
Much Love~
Also thanks a lot for the post!
Youre welcome Raghib!
I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Hello Zeenat,
Thank you for this post…it contains much meaning and truths.
I wrote this poem just this Saturday after Cassie and I fed the homeless at the church safe parking lot. It was posted along with an image that I put together at home for two Flickr photo groups that I am a member of (Joy’s group being one of them):
Neapolitan
Scrambling out to be under the stars
Where small raced and safely played
Like Neapolitan.
Some flavors are:
White Caucasian American –
Brown Latino American –
Yellow Asian American –
Black African American –
The hot day only fades…
Where you are:
Live’n Age Four –
Within The Fence –
Give’n an ice cream…
I want to believe you will go far…
Great, many years outside the gate.
Scooped up by a wondrous fate…
Now, back home to the car.
Mom has the baby asleep.
You can dream…
~ Rand
09/13/2014
Rand you always share straight from the heart and I love that! The poem is beautiful.
May you write many more.
Thank you for sharing your lovely words here.
Much Love~
Yes my friend. Where there is hope there is healing. I so believe that. I needed that lift this morning. Thanks so much 🙂
Melissa, I’m always ready to lift you up 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts here.
Much Love~