I was just at the grocery store. My intention was get my errands done, return home, get this blog written, and move on to other tasks needing my attention. I even had a blog about the end of NaNoWriMo outlined. But, then I saw this headline a the grocery store – The Thrill of Hope: choosing to live in HOPEFUL EXPECTATION. I was so attracted to the title, I immediately added the magazine to my pile on the conveyor belt. Some people at Magnolia Journal obviously did their jobs well. And now, I’m writing about it here.
But, it is a thrill to find hope and luxuriate in it, isn’t it? It’s why we spend any time considering what we’d do with the recent immense lottery winnings. The very possibility is so incredibly remote that it’s silly to spend any real time discussing, but we do. We talk about it, think about it, joke about what we’d do. It’s the thrill of the hope, isn’t it?
On a recent car trip, I was listening to some podcasts (have you checked ours out?). In one of them, Katie Couric was interviewing Tony Robbins. It’s been a few weeks since I listened but my recollection of the conversation was that she was asking him how to maintain positivity when there is so much to be concerned about in the world. (It was recorded in March 2017, a few weeks after the inauguration). She listed several, serious and legitimate concerns, all still present today. Tony answered by saying the antidote to fear and anger is gratitude.
Not satisfied, Katie repeated the question in a different way. In response, Tony asked her what she could do about most of the concerns she was listing. She didn’t have an answer. He said we need to live our lives the way we want to and not focus on the things we can’t control. She asked how. He shared several suggestions, but one stuck with me. He starts each day with a meditation on 3 things: gratitude, prayer or some positive thoughts, and daily intentions.
Since I’ve listened to that a few weeks ago, I’ve been practicing what he suggested (in fairness, he also said he did some intense breathing and jumping on a rebounder; I’m NOT doing that). I’ve started each morning for most of the last 3 weeks writing in each category – gratitude, prayers, and intentions. And while I do have concerns each day, many of which don’t let me sleep as much as I’d like (anyone else?), I have to say that this exercise has put more positivity in my day. Having hope and expectation is lovely, but living with it foremost in your mind is, well, thrilling.
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