Ripples v11.10: Hope for Treasure!

Ripples v11.10: Hope for Treasure!
The Ripples Project is a tribe of 22,048
who believe tiny actions create big possibilities
1999-2009: 10 years of Ripples!

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PEBBLE
Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure.
-Rumi, submitted by Karen L., Cincinnati OH

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BOULDER
To be hopeful in bad times
is not just foolishly romantic.
It is based on the fact that
human history is a history not only of cruelty,
but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness...
-Howard Zinn, submitted by Leslie S., Madison WI

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PONDER

Like courage or optimism, hope is something that is most useful when it is the hardest to muster---at our darkest moments. Its easy for us to be hopeful when things are going well. We are often awash in hope then, but we don't really need it. I think this is why real hope isn't easy. Hope can be scary, it can be fleeting, it can be challenging. Which also makes hope so valuable.

So have hope!

In some ways, hope is a skill that can improve with practice. One tip: practice taking the long view. In an era of instant messaging, monthly IRA statements, and quarterly earning reports, it is easy to get caught up in measuring success by the day, or the week, or the quarter. Our problems may be serious. They may not improve this year. If we take the long view, however, we can more easily find hope that change will come.

Do what you can this week to seek hope and savor hope.

Peace,
Paul
p.s. Thanks to my best friend Ron who helped me write this week's ponder. He didn't ask for attribution, but I know he wouldn't want me plagiarizing either.