Snowflake Challenge 2024 #2

[galadhir]

In your own space, set yourself some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I have my goals here Final Roundup of 2023 and New Year Goals for 2024 but I think I want to add one more, which is

• make hope part of your daily practice.

I already have a Christian religious practice in which I try to leave worry to the Lord. But not worrying is not quite the same thing as having hope. It feels necessary now that I add in a daily habit of hoping that - since God is in charge and God is good - the world will improve, and there is a future for the planet, and life is worth living and will continue to be so.

These things don't come to me easily, but I've never deliberately worked at it before, and it may be time.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

For me it's a matter of reminding myself of this and letting it lead me into a more positive outlook on life, and actively looking for the positive, even if it is in the little things. So an excellent goal!

[galadhir]

Thank you! And yes - I'm naturally a pessimist with a strong tendency to catastrophize, so a goal to actively look for the positive sounds like a grand thing :)

[evilwriter37]

That's a very good goal to work at! Sounds like something I need to incorporate!

[galadhir]

Thank you :) Yes, well when you can't change the world you can at least change yourself :)

[ysilme]

But not worrying is not quite the same thing as having hope
This is so very true, and a very sensible and worthwile goal to integrate this in your daily practice.
For myself, I've learned/realised over the last years, that hope mostly comes out of my own personal bubble, and from small and simple things. Among those is often our garden: seeing something sprout, grow, flourish, take root after having been relocated to us, give nourishment to insects or birds or us, or simply being so delicate and beautiful. For me, prayer and meditation has so often rather been immersing myself in the beauty of nature or music than forming any kind of words in my mind, and I've found time and again that cultivating this helps me immensely also with the feelings of desperation and hopelessness when they come around.
*hugs*

[galadhir]

Thank you! And yes, I do most of my praying while I'm cycling, which means that a lot of it does end up just being thankful for the sky and the sun and having good enough health to get out (even if it is on an electric bike.) Nature is very healing. I think they've even proved that, like statistically or medically by now. There's nothing like being outside in bright (but not too bright) sunlight for lifting a mood.

I wish I could somehow figure out a way to stretch the flowering period in my garden into August/September, to continue supporting the pollinators. Normally it's beautiful from late February to July, and then it becomes nothing but leaves. Things that don't flower until later in the year also don't seem to survive in my garden.

*Hugs to you too :) *

[vriddy]

That sounds like a really good practice. I hope it works out well for you, good luck <3

[galadhir]

Thank you! :)

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, hope is definitely something that requires active effort in times like these. It's like trying to grow tomatoes in the desert -- doable, but takes a lot of work.

I'm thinking hope is a pretty big thing in Christian traditions, so there ought to be plenty of materials for it. So let's see ...

https://www.biblekeeper.com/prayers-for-hope/

https://christian.net/resources/prayers-for-hope/

https://www.countryliving.com/life/g31917944/bible-verses-about-hope/

And hey, you're a signwriter, you could pick a favorite and paint it!

Try checking your local inspirational bookstore? I've got prayerbooks from different traditions on major topics like healing, so there are probably some on hope. Actually, I've got a poem in an anthology about hope, took me a while to track down, but here:
https://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Will-Take-Little-While/dp/0465041663
Not exclusively Christian but a good book on the topic.

Re: Hmm ...

[galadhir]

Ooh, I love the idea of painting one of these for a wall hanging or something. The Jeremiah one is my favourite - it gets me every time. And it has the bonus that it's one of the shortest, so I would pick that.

That does look like a useful book to read these days! Congrats on being in there with people like Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou. That's quite some company :)

Re: Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Ooh, I love the idea of painting one of these for a wall hanging or something. <<

Yay! I'm so happy I could help.

Does your church have a place where they hang spiritual art, like a community room or a contemplation room? You could always ask if they'd like you to do something for it. People need hope, and a reminder can help.

>> The Jeremiah one is my favourite - it gets me every time. And it has the bonus that it's one of the shortest, so I would pick that.<<

Good choice.

>> That does look like a useful book to read these days! Congrats on being in there with people like Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou. That's quite some company :)

When I got my complimentary copy, we all sat around and squealed over who-all I was rubbing covers with. Yes, those were two of the Names that I was super excited about.