No matter what we do day to day, the seasons turn in nature and in our own lives. All life goes through stages of birth, growth, decline and death.
Through all of these stages I am aspiring to be
Living Hope-free
To me it means that I don’t waste time lamenting what was or what might be. Instead as much as I can I embrace the reality of what is. I am very fortunate and blessed so it may be easier for me to embrace the reality of what is, more than others in our world. And I don’t take those blessings and privileges that I experience for granted. So each day I give thanks for this life of mine and try to do one small thing to spread loving kindness and beauty.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.
―
I’ve written in the past about how I’ve been working on learning to stay in the present moment more and letting go of worry about my husband’s or Gracie’s (my cat) health as we age together. It’s not easy but so worthwhile. Staying in the moment helps me to be more loving and appreciative. It’s as if the love and grace of each moment expands to fill my senses.
It’s not about hopelessness
Living hope-free is not living in hopelessness. In fact it is the exact opposite because I am filling up with the goodness of the only moment there is, the present moment. And I am avoiding spending precious time worrying about what might be.
After he was diagnosed, we had a lot of conversation about how we were going to face the harsh reality that ALS is always fatal. We didn’t want to waste our precious time trying to chase down miracle cures or doing things that might extend his life for a few days or weeks. What was the point of a few more days if he was suffering? We decided to live ‘hope-free,’ which isn’t the same thing as hopeless. It’s about embracing the reality of what is. Jamie was very clear that he didn’t want to focus on the fact that he was dying. He was alive, and he intended to keep living fully, every single moment, until death took him. For both of us, that meant that we couldn’t squander time. It also felt essential not to squander the lessons that living/dying had to teach us. Jamie was all about learning, right up until the end.
— from Living/Dying Man, DailyGood, my inspiration for today’s post
How about you? Are you living hope-free or do you aspire to live hope-free?
May you walk in beauty.
Note: I made the photos in today’s post on my daily walk this morning in the neighborhood and through a part of French Regional Park.
Just as I clicked the shutter button a cardinal entered the frame
And here he is thinking, “You can’t see me.”
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