Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Hope is an underrated sentiment

The guy above is a taxi driver I had in Beirut 3 years ago.
What's become of him and where the hell is he now I wonder?
Funny how taking a picture on a whim keeps bringing people back into your thoughts.
He has a great expressive open face I'm sure you will agree.
He's a fitting start to this post.
Read on.
I spend my life worrying about things that really don't matter. It's amazing how what seems important to me, is not really important at all. Not amazing actually. We're all if nothing else rather self obsessed beings. Personal drama tends to clutter your sense of perspective.
When I really think about it, all that seems front and center means very little in the scheme of things. This time next year it'll be but a memory.
I just got off the phone with a friend who about 6 months ago , out of the blue, had a bright future snatched away from her.
Devastating news, which if delivered to me, would have made me weak at the knees and swaying with vertigo at the edge of the abyss. Today in the strange arbitrary way of these things, her life was handed back to her.
The thing is she never gave up hope.
The particulars are private and I'll leave them be.
The point is, even in her darkest hour she never gave up hope.
Not in a clinging to faith or a praying for divine intervention sort of way.
Just hope.
She was able to see a pin prick of light at the end of a long tunnel stretching dark and cold to an unknown and frightening horizon.
She never gave up on a positive swing of fate.
Is that that strength, or self delusion?. In the past, I would have subscribed to the latter not the former.
Now I'm not so sure.
Did the power of positive thinking swing the pendulum the other way?
The fact is that we just don't really know how things work all the time.
There's always room for seeing a way out of an impossible situation.
It's not that she's a fundamentally good person (though I believe she is) and thus Karma "evened- out" the balance. She doesn't believe that, and nor do I.
Sometimes good things happen to good people.
It is what it is.

What's the point of this post?
Is there any message to be gleaned?

Probably not.
However:
Don't see the fog and the winter trees at 6 am.........See the coming sun and green on its way.
If you look hard enough, you'll find something truly fantastic in your personal circumstance whoever you are.
Something truly unique to you and if faced with the choice..... something you'd never change.
That lets hope find the light in my humble opinion.
I really believe that.
I'm feeling all "full of new-age affirmation and sometimes all things work out" at the moment.
Have no fear. That will pass like a hangover.
Sermon over.
Sleep well and feel good.
I will and I do.
T

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are days when you are reminded, with some shame, that your life is pretty damn good, that you have little to moan about and much to be grateful for. For me today is that day.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your sermon Terry, hits the right spot, penny x

Anonymous said...

Hi Terry, Love the music, great addition to your blog.
Your writing and thoughts struck a nerve (again).
Thanks, I'll look forward to more.
Cheers,
Rhonda

Anonymous said...

I once read that hope hurts much more than despair, hence the xanax-assisted coping abound. It takes a great deal of courage to cling to hope when things seem at its darkest. Your friend must be a very brave person.