The Ballad of Life and Hope

"Where there is life, there is hope."

I received this quote out of the blue in a text message recently. It came with almost perfect timing in a moment where I felt crippled with hopelessness. Since I received these words, I've been constantly dwelling on them, dissecting them, and further figuring out how they apply to my own circumstances. (Because nothing is ever that simple with me.)

It's such a simple equation. Life equals hope, and vice versa. But, what if you look at it from an alternate perspective? Where there is not life, what is there? I know it's said that hope is present in every single situation and circumstance. And almost all of the time, I would agree.

Let's do a little dissecting for a moment, starting with hope. Hope is described as an expectation, a desire, or a yearning for something to happen. It's a grounds for believing in something good. It's a feeling of trust.

I don't want anyone to think for a second that I'm saying hope is bad. I strongly believe that hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. (Not to go quoting The Shawshank Redemption) Sometimes we hope for things to happen that are completely out of our control. But, what about the things we actually have some control over?

Now, let's shift our focus on the life part for a second. Life in general is described as the period of time between birth and death of any living being. But sometimes, I view life in a slightly different sense.

There's another saying that I've come to embrace quite recently. "Movement equals life." For me, life is moving, doing, taking action towards the things you have control over.

Where there is movement, there is life. And once again (Say it with me if you wish), where there is life, there is hope. 

Movement = Life = Hope

Sometimes, hope is useless without trying, without taking action, without moving towards something. I could hope all day long that people would invest their time and read this blog. But, I can't expect that to happen if I remain inactive for weeks at a time and don't put any effort into making it something worth investing in.

When I received this particular text message, I was smack-dab in the middle of a rough weekend. There was some stuff I had control over, and there was some stuff I didn't. I was feeling defeated, and I was ready to completely give up on everything.

But now, I attribute that feeling to being stagnant and even a little bit lazy. Maybe I didn't know how to move forward with the things I had control over, or maybe I just forgot what it meant to be alive, to move, to take action.

Maybe you're reading this post and you just need a text message like this sent your way. Maybe you need a reminder that there is hope, or maybe you just need a call to action. Just remember, hope requires life, and life requires movement.

My ultimate advice to you right now; Realize what is and is not in your control. For the things that are, take action, move, push forward and hope for the best!