Hope seems to be in short supply for many people, and not just now, but at other certain times in our lives. How do we hold onto hope? Rediscover joy? Find the courage to make a new move? Reach out for help even though it makes us vulnerable? Move past fear and into a more authentic self? Speak up for what we need? Put aside what we don’t need?

I have a few trusted friends who know my fears and walk alongside me, nudging, sometimes shoving me down the path I know I should be walking on. I find solace in running and in hiking. When spring begins to melt the mountain snows, it awakens an urge in me that must be what birds feel when it’s time to migrate. And on those trails, with the best hiking partner anyone could wish for, there is so much beauty. When I can get out of my own head to notice the wildflowers, the sun playing in the Aspen trees, or the moose standing just off the trail, then I find my joy.

What brings me down is seeing human beings treat other human beings as if they don’t matter, as if beliefs are more important than relationship, as if being right is the be-all end-all of existence, as if any of it really counts. There is fake news everywhere, on all sides and in all places. But we are better than that. Find hope. Find joy. Take courage. Ask for help. Use fear to move. And give that gift of love, even in a simple smile, to someone every day.