Hope

Sharing Stories

September 6, 2022 at 4:25 a.m.

Courage is being afraid but facing dangers with a growl.

...by Ariele M. Huff

HOPE

Where we stand with Hope colors everything in our lives.
Here are some exercises to do to help you feel more hopeful—in spite of whatever you are facing. The exercises can be written, spoken to someone else or a group, or you can simply spend time with the thoughts about it.

Some people like to add music, some enjoy a bubble bath or warm shower while doing the process, and others end with a good meal or special treat.

Hope is at the heart of all stories, fiction and nonfiction. In those stories, we learn something about HOPE, whether it is that HOPE succeeds or fails. A few examples could be hopes for a better income or a better world, hopes for better health, hoping for a certain outcome or bucket list items that you hope to receive or do.

Exercise #1
Write, discuss, or just think about a time when you got something you’d hoped for. How did you feel? What did you say? Did you celebrate? Side note: It’s extremely important to celebrate “wins.” It makes the time stand out, which reminds you how possible it is to fulfill wishes and the methods you’ve used to do so and that you deserve and can have good fortune.

Exercise #2
Healing is closely related to Hope and is an active way to attempt to fulfill hopes.
So, write, discuss, or just think about a time when you healed…mentally, physically, or emotionally. What method/s did you use? Did anyone help you heal? You can also make this a story of someone else’s healing if you wish, especially if they’ve managed this against a lot of odds.

Exercise #3
Write, discuss, or just think of a healing you have not yet accomplished. Do you have any helpers in this pursuit? On a percentage scale, how important is this healing to you? What people or information might you be able to get to aid you in this endeavor?

Exercise #4
Courage buoys humans to heal and to hope.
Write, discuss, or just think of about a time when you felt courageous or saw someone else as courageous. Get specific and spend some time savoring the feeling physically and emotionally of courage.

Exercise #5
Write, discuss, or just think about a time when your courage was challenged. Visualize yourself as the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz movie…afraid but facing dangers with a growl, taking a fighting posture, and clawing the air toward the scary person or situation.

Exercise #7
Perseverance is often a method to achieve all the other things mentioned in this article: Hope, Healing, and Courage. Write, discuss, or just think about a story that shows how you feel about perseverance. You can use others you admire to discover what it looks and feels like to be a person with who is good at persisting and “sticking to it,” in spite of difficulties or qualms.

I’d love to hear your stories about hope, healing, courage, or perseverance. Send them to me at ariele@comcast.net..

Ariele Huff teaches online and ZOOM classes including Ancient Healing Methods for Modern Stress, Pain Therapies and Treatments, Get Rich, $tay Rich, Processing Loss, and a large spectrum of writing classes including Write about Your Life, Portrait Books (often done as memorials to loved ones who have passed), Commas to Comments (brush up on grammar and writing mechanics), or just for fun: Guilty Pleasures, Humor Writing, and Monster Club for kids of all ages. Ask for a class list or ask questions: ariele@comcast.net..

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
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