There have been a few times in my life when I've lost hope. Not just in a particular thing, like an event I was looking forward to, but in EVERYTHING.
This is not a good place to be.
I didn't realize how essential hope is to my continued existence until it was gone. Fortunately, these dark periods of my life are few and far between. They usually follow a difficult event, like the death of a loved one or a breakup.
Many people who find themselves in this place, especially those who arrive their repeatedly, consider suicide. This is how important hope is. Like water and oxygen and food, it keeps us alive.
If you've lost hope, please do whatever you can to get it back. If you know someone who has lost hope, be a light to them.
My hope is restored and strengthened by human interaction, uplifting music, communion with nature, exercise, prayer and meditation. I am learning that any time hope is lost, the problem is not with the way the world is but with the way I am seeing it. In other words, a restoration of hope does not come through a change in circumstances, it comes through a change in perspective. This means hope is something I can control, seek out, or suppress. It's not random or arbitrary. It's a choice. And it's one I hope I will always make.
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