Hope

I have a friend who has been looking for romance in her life. She's had a few dates and a few disappointments. And then, she met a guy that holds some promise. When she talks about him, she giggles and her cheeks turn red. After divulging a bit about him, she said to me almost apologetically, "I spent the weekend getting ahead of myself."
And you know what?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
Get ahead of yourself!

I came across these wise words a few weeks ago, and they've been speaking to me through so many events in my life and the lives of my friends:

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope.” ~Hal Lindsey~

Hope is a funny thing.
It's a powerful and magnificent thing. Optimism. Promise.
And it's a scary thing too.

Ask anyone who's lonely.

Ask anyone who has ever struggled with infertility.

Hope is the most natural emotion to follow desire. You want a child with every fibre of your being. And the hope that follows this one wish isn't exciting and invigorating, after a while it becomes terrifying. Because every time you allow yourself a teensy, weensy speck of hope, just a tiny tear in the fabric of your protective armour, the gushing waters of disappointment flood over you and you feel foolish.
 And it hurts.
And maybe it was the hope that stung you so badly.
Maybe disappointment would be bearable without hope.
You think maybe it would have been better never to hope at all.

But that's not true.

And it's not possible.

The spirit needs to dream about possibilities becoming truths. Your mind needs to be able to concoct your desires into your actual tomorrows. Without the bright maybes, our spirits would wither.
Dream on.
Keep your chin up!

Get ahead of yourself.