For You, When You Feel Like There’s No Hope

When you feel like there’s no hope, I must advise you to stop for a minute. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Permit yourself to stay still as that breath reaches every cell in your being. Let your breath steady you as you exhale, too. When you feel that air rushing out of your lungs, I hope you remember that you are a miracle. A million little things had to align to bring you into this world—and that is a miracle.

You are a miracle.

When you feel like the overwhelm is suffocating you, and the to-do list is piling up, and you feel as if you cannot seem to catch a break, I hope you take five minutes to go outside. Feel your feet standing firmly upon the ground, look up at the sky, and take in the beauty of the sun or the stars or the moon or whatever is shining down on you at that moment. Remember that the world is still turning, the sun is still shining, and the ocean is still churning—and water and sun and fertile ground is what lets the seeds of hope bloom.

And blooming doesn’t happen overnight, dear friend.

When you feel like you’re behind in life, whether that be in your career, relationships, finances, or personal goals, I hope you remember to appreciate the blessings that you do have, for they are there. Maybe they’re there in the family that you have, or perhaps it’s in the eyes of the family that you’ve chosen and made. Maybe those blessings are in the tiny steps of the career that you’ve been creating, but those tiny steps are for your heart and your eyes only. Maybe those blessings are things that we too often take for granted, like a roof over our head, clothes on our back, and food in our fridge. Or perhaps they come in the package of health and happiness for you and your loved ones.

When the world tries to whisper the lie that there is no hope, I hope you trust in the goodness in your heart that shouts that something beautiful is around the corner, at your table, or waiting for you in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

When you feel like there’s no hope, remember that hope can be found in all the places where the light touches—and light is all around you. But better yet, it’s within you, too.