by ML Murray
Hope.
It’s a heavy word. Full of potential. Full of promise. Fuller yet of disappointment.
Hope is your friend when all works out as you wanted…as you hoped.
It’s a lead ball on a chain weighing you down when things go the way they must, not as you hoped.
When hope fails, it becomes the foundation to the walls we build. So why in the hell do we keep the fire of hope burning? Even when it’s a small flame, nearly extinguished, we blow life back into it. In some way, despite hope’s many failures, we know we can’t let it die. Just as we know we can’t let the flame of light go out and plunge into the depths of perpetual darkness. We know that without hope, we are truly lost.
When we feel alone, hope is often the only companion left. We cling to it, afraid of what may happen if we let go. Even with it’s track record of failure we hold on. We have no choice. To let go of hope, is to let go of our self, our life.
So how do you keep hope alive when all seems lost? You simply keep on living. That’s the hardest part really, to keep on living, even when you have nothing left to live for. Hope is interwoven into our DNA. It’s the essence of life. To give up hope is to surrender your life.
Clinging to hope is often a venture destined to fail. Desperation never made anything better. Hope is a lot like love. Hold on to tight and you’ll ruin everything that matters. Hope is a delicate thing. It’s only strong when you ask for help and let go. Asking for help is hard. Letting go and trusting, harder still. But if hope has any chance, you must.
Let hope work it’s magic. If you try to control it, dictate its path and destination, you will be left wanting, and you will become a builder of walls. You will be alone and filled with bitter bile that infects all it touches.
Hope is a heavy word. Full of promise, with disappointment around the corner. But it doesn’t have to be. You just have to let go and trust that all will be as it should be in the end. And keep on living.