Hope/Trust
“The
very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope
for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it
from a distance, but live right in it, under its roof.” Barbara
Kingsolver
Hope
can be a noun: a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing
to happen. Or, it can be a verb: to want something to happen or be
the case. But my favorite is the archaic form: a feeling of trust.
For me, hope is like the blood coursing through my body—if it
stopped, I'd die. Hope is like salt or water—essential.
Hope
and trust are linked. Is there trust underpinning hope that connects
it to the ground? Or do we hope for impossible things—like getting
from America to Europe without flying in an airplane or taking a
ship. “Beam me up, Scotty.” Not in this lifetime. I remember an
incident decades ago when a very stoned, very slow-witted high school
student told me he hoped to go to medical school. Not gonna happen!
What we hope for must be something we can live within, under its
roof, or it's only wishful thinking.
I
know. You're saying, “But we can hope for miracles!” Yes we
can, but do we trust that miracles will happen. I had a friend once
who hoped to win the lottery. She bought two tickets every single
week. She spent a small fortune trying to win the lottery when
putting that money in a coffee can, or under her mattress would have
made far more sense.
Hope
and trust are kinfolks. They must come as a pair and be within the
realm of possibility. But, when they are linked together, and clearly
articulated, when they are held within your heart of hearts, the
whole universe lines up to “Make it so, Number One.”
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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