Your Daily Dose of Hope

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott When our world seems full of challenges and uncertainty, hope can feel like something that once ran smoothly but has mysteriously crashed. Because hope isn't simply optimism or wishful thinking; it's the engine that powers meaningful change and resilience. Like restarting a computer, we sometimes need to pause, clear our mental cache, and intentionally choose to begin again. Rebooting hope begins with small, deliberate actions.

One of the simplest ways to show you care is to ask someone a genuine question about their life. Not to fill silence. Not to check a box. But to really see them. What are you excited about? What are you working on? What are you hoping for? These questions aren’t small talk—they’re small doors into someone’s world. And when you ask them with sincerity, something beautiful happens: people unfold. They soften. They brighten. They remember that what they feel and dream matters. Because thoughtful questions are more than curiosity. They’re an act of generosity. When you pause long enough to truly listen, you’re offering someone a moment of belonging—a moment where their hopes and struggles and in-between places are given space. You’re saying, “I’m here. Your life is worth paying attention to.” And here’s the hopeful part: Every time you offer this gift to someone else, you strengthen it within yourself too. You begin to notice your own sparks of excitement. You reconnect with what you’re working toward. You rediscover the hopes you’ve quietly tucked away. Hope grows when it’s shared. Hope deepens when it’s spoken aloud. Hope expands when someone feels safe enough to name it. So today, let your hope ripple outward in the simplest of ways: ask a question, listen with your whole heart, and allow someone else’s story to remind you that possibility is always alive and moving among us. A little attention goes a long, hopeful way.

Inspired by a beautiful reflection from Catherine Avery https://www.catherineavery.com/blog/ADHDholiday2025 Hope doesn’t always announce itself with big, bold energy. Sometimes, hope arrives  In her recent post, Catherine Avery shared how this season looks different for her. While the world is speeding up, she’s choosing to move more slowly. After the loss of her mother-in-law and a wave of unexpected emotions resurfacing at the ADHD Conference, she realized something many of us forget: grief doesn’t care about the calendar. Instead of pushing into “holiday mode,” Catherine is letting her season be simpler, softer, and more spacious. And there’s so much hope in that choice. Because hope isn’t just about believing things will get better—hope is also what gives us permission to do things differently right now. To simplify. To honor what we’re carrying. To celebrate in ways that feel true rather than expected. I recently had to move my mom to a place where she can get more support. It wasn’t completely unexpected, but I hadn’t planned for this to happen before the holidays either. I’ll still be able to spend Christmas with her and other family members, but it’s not going to be the same. That’s okay even with a bit of nostalgia for Christmas’ past. The Buddhist saying about attachment being the source of suffering comes to mind. Thinking that the holidays have to be celebrated in a specific way or adhering to traditions that don’t fit anymore, it’s the nudge that it’s time to reevaluate.   Hope invites us to choose calm over chaos, presence over pressure, being over doing. If this season feels tender for you, let hope remind you: you’re allowed to pause. You’re allowed to shift. You’re allowed to let this holiday look different. And sometimes, that gentle shift is the most hopeful act of all.

My friend Teresa and I share posts and memes we see online with each other. We have a similar sense of humor, and we also share similar outrage at things that are making the headlines.  Last week she sent a post and her comment was “maybe a little daylight is coming.” In response to a post about current events that had a hopeful list of good things that have happened lately.  I’m an optimist at heart, but I’m not immune from feeling overwhelmed at some of the things happening in the world. There are legitimate suffering, wars and conflicts as well as natural disasters that remind us that at anytime things can go haywire.  Still, the reminder from a friend that a little daylight showed up, some good news among the headlines made me smile.  It made me appreciate having a friend who knows me and encourages me, and it reminded me once again that hope shows up when we need it.  Not when things are perfect, but when we know that things can get better.  Here’s a short, hope-filled list you can use or adapt: The first warm day after a long stretch of cold A kind message arriving exactly when you needed it A small win that reminds you you’re making progress Laughter that surprises you in the middle of a hard week A plan on the calendar you’re quietly excited about The moment you realize something that once hurt now hurts a little less New ideas that make you feel curious again Rest that actually feels like rest Each of these is a quiet whisper of hope: good things are still unfolding.

This is from an email from Kelly Nolan, the host of the Bright Method Podcast. https://kellynolan.com/podcast If you struggle with that 5pm darkness, I wanted to share some tips from this community on how to make this time of year a bit brighter, pick and choose what sounds great and doable for you! Here are tips from other women: Embrace the cozy! "Fires in the fireplace! We chose our house specifically because it had a wood burning fireplace. It makes everything so cozy, and it also is something we only do when the weather gets cold so it’s something to look forward to in the cold/dark months up here in Alaska." "Cozy things like Hallmark movies, a faux fireplace, and candles when it's dark out" "We received a tea advent calendar last year. It allowed my husband and I to sit each evening and relax together. We started a cool weather tradition with it. So now that it's cooler, each night we make a cup of hot tea and sit and relax. It gives us something look forward to." "Leaning into autumn with hot chocolates" Getting outside: "Early morning walk" "I try to get outside and walk midday! As long as I can in the fall!" "Daily walks! And NOT reaching for cup after cup of coffee even when it’s still pitch black at school drop off " "I got a really really good down coat so that I can get outside as often as I want without discomfort!" Making the dark fun "Make the dark fun. To the extent that it's safe to do so... take walks under the moon, roast marshmallows on your grill, get breakfast for dinner at a diner. We lean into the dark and cold here because the alternative is fighting it and not winning. " "We got our young kids light sabers so we could continue our after dinner neighborhood walks" "On the nights we’re home, really embracing the dark with candles, dimmed lights, etc." And some more tips! "Using my SAD lamp like there’s no tomorrow" "A fall bucket list! Having small things to look forward to as a family is so life giving! And, in a perfect world for me as a south Florida girl who was raised in Colorado, I just get so excited to be able to enjoy the weather outside again" Embracing the season brings hope along with the reminder that the short, dark days of winter don’t last. Find a way to have a few go-to rituals that remind you to celebrate and appreciate today.

Today’s message is simple: your future self is already rooting for you. She’s standing somewhere up ahead, maybe six months, maybe six years, looking back with gratitude for the choices you’re making right now. Time is kinda weird. As I get older, I look back now and see all the things I accomplished but didn’t celebrate. Things that had a huge impact on how my life is today. The 20 year old me would have never imagined where I am now. Even the 30 year old me didn’t know how many options and choices I really had.  Lean into what your future self wants you to know.  Every time you try, even if you don’t nail it… she cheers.Every time you say yes to something brave… she cheers.Every time you rest because you needed it… she definitely cheers. Hope grows when you remember that your story isn’t finished. There are versions of you you haven’t met yet—wiser, calmer, more confident, more joyful. She doesn’t need you to be perfect today. She just needs you to keep going. So today, imagine her. See her smiling at you, waving you forward, whispering, “Keep going. You’re doing better than you think.” Let that be your hope today. The future you is already celebrating the present you.

Let’s talk about small wins, the ones so tiny you often step right over them while waiting for something “big” to happen. You cleaned out one drawer? Win.You sent the email you’ve been avoiding? Win.You drank water before coffee? Win.  You worked out when you didn’t feel like it? Olympic-level win. We underestimate the power of small wins because they don’t feel dramatic. But hope grows from momentum, not magnitude. Every tiny action that moves you forward, even one inch signals to your brain, “Hey, we’re doing this. We’re actually doing this!” It builds self-trust. It builds confidence. It builds… you guessed it… hope. So today, celebrate one small win. It can be laughably small. “I folded one shirt.” “I walked to the mailbox.” “I was on time for my meeting.” There are so many everyday things that we do for ourselves and for others. Pick one and celebrate it, just for a minute.  Hope isn’t built in sweeping gestures, it’s built in the quiet stacking of small wins that turn into big change. Pick your win today. Notice it. Appreciate it. Let it count.

Some days, your hope tank is low. Not empty, not yet, but very much blinking on the dashboard like, “Hey friend, we should probably stop soon.” On those days, it’s okay to borrow hope. Borrow it from a friend who believes in you. Borrow it from a past version of yourself who pushed through something hard. Borrow it from the future you who knows everything is going to work out.  Borrow it from that thing you’re dreaming about, the one that lights you up even if you still don’t know exactly how you’ll make it happen. Or borrow mine. I believe in second chances, detours, new chapters, and the magic of trying again. I believe in divine timing and in the tiny moments that become turning points. I believe that you are not behind—you’re becoming. So if your hope tank is low today, let me lend you some of mine. Hold onto it as long as you need. There’s more where that came from. And when your tank is full again? Pass it on.

Let’s have a moment of truth: nobody, and I mean nobody, has it together as much as they pretend to. Some of us are just better at disguising or hiding the chaos. And you know what? That’s hopeful. Because hope doesn’t require you to be perfect. It doesn’t even require “mostly fine.” Hope just needs one thing: your willingness to keep going even when you're a slightly overcaffeinated mess. I find this so encouraging. I don’t have to be perfect which is great because I’m definitely not. I don’t have to have everything figured out or know all the answers.  I can be a hot mess and still have hope. In fact, that’s probably when I’m most hopeful because things HAVE to get better, right?  Today I want you to give yourself permission to be human. Humans spill coffee. Humans forget passwords. Humans start laundry and then discover it three days later in the washer. I can’t be the only person who does that.  Humans have big dreams and goals and awesome ideas and sometimes we have tiny meltdowns or even big meltdowns when everything feels hard.  The good news: hope lives inside that messiness. It lives in the moment you laugh at yourself instead of criticizing yourself. It lives in the decision to try again. It lives in the part of you that whispers, “Okay… maybe I can do this after all.” So today, be human. Not perfect. Not polished. Just human. There’s so much hope in that.

Today I want to talk about the kind of hope that sneaks up on you, like an Amazon package you forgot you ordered. That can’t just be me right? One day it’s not there, the next day… surprise! A box of possibility sitting on your doorstep. Hope often doesn’t show up with trumpets or big declarations. Sometimes it tiptoes quietly with a little nudge. It’s the little shift, the tiny spark, the “hmm… maybe…” thought that wasn’t there yesterday. Maybe you’ve been waiting for something to change and if feels like nothing is happening or happening fast enough.  But if you look closely, there’s usually some small sign that things aren’t as stuck as they feel. It’s time to pay attention to that new idea. A different perspective. One tiny sign of encouragement you didn’t expect. Here’s the magic: hope expands when you acknowledge it. When you say, “Oh hey, I see you,” it grows. Not because conditions instantly change, but because you change. Your posture shifts. You lift your head. You try again. You remember that you’re an amazing person who deserves all the good things life can offer. So today, I want you to look for the hope you didn’t know you ordered. It might be disguised as a compliment from a stranger, a moment of clarity in the shower, a burst of energy that hasn’t been around lately or simply a quiet knowing that you’re not done yet, and life isn’t done with you. Hope shows up when you expect it to be there.

The day after Thanksgiving is its own kind of moment. The big meal is over, the dishes are (mostly) done, and the world starts shifting into the next season. But before you move on, take one more breath of gratitude. Look at how far you’ve come this year. Look at what you’ve carried, what you’ve learned, and what you didn’t think you could handle but did.  What surprised you? What challenged you? Where did things go better than planned? It’s all part of the journey and when we can stop and look back, not to judge, but to appreciate even the tough moments don’t feel quite so hard anymore.  Gratitude isn’t a day on the calendar. It’s a muscle. And every time you use it, you build resilience, hope, and steadiness. Today’s Hope Reminder: Carry thankfulness with you. Let it be your compass for the rest of the year, gentle, steady, and always leading you toward hope.

Today is Thanksgiving, a day built around one beautiful invitation: pause and give thanks. Not because everything is perfect, but because gratitude helps us see clearly. Here’s what I’m thankful for today: The people at my table, the ones I miss, the ones who shaped me, and the ones I get to love. The work that lets me use my gifts. The quiet mornings, the warm cup of tea, the laughs, the second chances, the fresh starts, the hard lessons that made me softer and stronger. Wherever you are today, with a full house, a quiet room, or somewhere in between, I hope you feel connected to something bigger than the moment. Today’s Hope Reminder: Gratitude is a light. Even the smallest spark can illuminate an entire day.

Gratitude isn’t reserved for the days when everything lines up perfectly. Honestly, those days are rare. More often, life is messy, unpredictable, and full of unfinished to-dos. But here’s the truth: you can feel overwhelmed and still be grateful. You can wish things were different and still appreciate what’s here. This week, I felt stretched thin — too many tasks, not enough time. But then I realized: being busy means I’m trusted, needed, growing. That shift changed everything. Different seasons bring new people into our lives and new challenges too. I want to remember that there’s always possibility and things for which I can be thankful.  Today’s Hope Reminder: You don’t have to choose between struggle and gratitude. They can coexist. And when they do, hope has room to breathe.

Let’s talk about the people who don’t ask for attention but deserve it, the quiet supporters, the ones who check in, who send a text, who remember what matters to you. Last week someone said, “I thought of you when I saw this,” and sent a photo of something small but meaningful. It shifted my entire day. Gratitude is powerful because it connects us. It reminds us we’re not doing life alone. There are so many people who impact our day, that we never really talk to. The person who brings the mail, or preps the carryout, or the guy at Kroger who shops for me so I don’t have to, I am especially grateful for that.  It’s a reminder that we’re all connected, even in ways we don’t even know.  Think of one person who has shown up for you this year. Maybe they didn’t fix anything. Maybe they simply sat with you. That counts. That matters deeply. Today’s Hope Reminder: Say thank you — even silently. Gratitude strengthens the threads between us.

Sometimes gratitude doesn’t show up as fireworks. It’s softer than that. It’s the moment you catch your breath in the middle of a busy day and think, “I’m glad I get to do this.” This happened to me recently while folding laundry, yes, laundry. I was folding towels, warm out of the dryer and I realized that the sunshine was coming through the window, and it hit me that this was a good day. Nothing grand. Nothing fancy. Just… good. I know I’m fortunate. I get to do work I love, on my own terms (mostly) and I have lots of options and choices about how to plan my time.  Owning your own business gives you flexibility but that also comes with things  like making payroll and taking care of tax paperwork and all the admin that’s required. No complaints, but at time, it’s a lot.  Today I want to remember why I chose this life and be thankful for how things have gone so far. Nothing is guaranteed; that’s for sure but I know how grateful I am for where things are today.  It’s a reminder to me that gratitude doesn’t need big moments; it thrives in the smallest ones. When we honor those tiny wins, we build an inner foundation that steadies us when life gets loud or complicated.  Today’s Hope Reminder: Slow down long enough to notice one ordinary moment that feels good. Let it be enough. Let it remind you that goodness exists right here, right now.

There’s something powerful about the moment you decide to try—when you apply, raise your hand, throw your hat into the ring, or simply show up. It’s easy to underestimate that moment because results get all the attention. But the truth is, trying is its own declaration. I once knew someone who applied for a role she wasn’t sure she’d get. She almost talked herself out of it—too many reasons why it wasn’t the “right time.” But she hit submit anyway. She didn’t end up getting that particular opportunity… but the people who reviewed her application kept her in mind. Months later, they reached out about a different role—one that was an even better fit. Trying matters because it signals something important:You believe there is a possibility worth reaching for.You’re willing to bet on yourself.You’re open to being seen. And that says everything about who you are—someone who chooses movement over fear, action over hesitation, hope over self-doubt. When you try, the outcome isn’t the whole story.The act itself is a statement: I’m here. I’m willing. I’m ready for more. So today’s reminder is simple—try.Your effort is already evidence of hope.

A colleague of mine once told me she was having a terrible week—one of those “everything is too much” stretches. She wasn’t sleeping well, her projects were overwhelming, and she felt invisible in her own work. Then someone she barely knew sent a simple email:“I saw what you shared last week. It really helped me. Thank you.” She cried reading it. Not because it solved anything, but because it reminded her that she mattered, that her work was landing somewhere, with someone. Several people have messaged me about these short episodes and told me that it helped them on a particularly tough day, and it means the world to me that a short message could find someone when they needed to hear it.  Hope doesn’t always come from inside; sometimes it arrives through other people. A word, a kindness, a recognition.  And here’s the thing: you can be that spark for someone else.You can send the email.You can give the compliment.You can acknowledge the thing someone is doing well. Today, let hope move in both directions—receive it, and pass it on.

My Christmas cactus plant is going on 10 years old I think. It’s been repotted a couple of times and it’s huge. For the most part, I don’t have to do much, in fact I think sometimes I overwater it, but it perseveres.  A couple months ago I went to move it over so I could water it and a piece fell off. It was pretty big, a couple of inches long with 2 little branches. I don’t know why but I picked it up and stuck it into some potting soil in a tiny pot.  It looked terrible. I had my doubts it was going to make it. I didn’t really notice it for a week or so and then the next time I looked, it had sprouted new growth and now I think even the tiny piece that broke off is going to bloom.  It’s my reminder that 1. Nature doesn’t need me hovering over it to grow and thrive and 2. Sometimes broken things turn into something new.  Sometimes, hope looks like this: unexpected growth in the places we weren’t paying attention to. We can try so hard to force progress. To fix it. To rush it. To manage every outcome. But growth has its own timing. Healing has its own rhythm. Maybe the thing you’re worried about just needs a little space. A shift. A moment without pressure. Today’s hope: things can revive—even when you’ve almost given up on them.

There was a week recently where everything felt gray, literally and figuratively. Endless clouds, frustrating delays, plans falling apart. You know those stretches where it feels like the universe is hitting “pause” on everything you’re trying to do? Then, midweek, after days of gloom, the sun broke through. Not for long, maybe twenty minutes, but long enough that I noticed and then things shifted.  It’s a frequent reminder that there’s a lot of life we will never be able to control, the weather is definitely part of that list, but I can decide how I want to show up.  Gloomy days are going to happen, and sometimes things aren't going to work out. But sometimes, they do.  And here’s what sticks with me: I get to choose. When things work out, the sun is shining and everything goes smoothy, I’m still the same person who sometimes feels tired and wants to curl up with a good book when it’s pouring down rain.  I get to choose and at the end of the day, that’s hope.Not the permanent sunshine.Just the reminder that brightness still exists, and will return and rainy days are going to happen and I am still okay.  If you’re in a gray patch right now, hang on. Clouds move. Seasons shift. Light always finds its way back. Look for your twenty minutes of sun today. It might be all you need.

Sometimes hope shows up disguised as a tiny yes. A yes to try. A yes to show up. A yes to believe that maybe, just maybe, things could shift. I think of my friend who’d been sitting on her business idea for years. She didn’t launch the whole thing at once. She didn’t overhaul her life. She simply said yes to taking one small step: joining a local workshop. That single action opened a door… which led to a conversation… which led to a collaboration… which led to her first paying client. She was willing to put in the effort, and put herself in the position to take the next step and then the next one after that.  Hope didn’t arrive for her as fireworks or a big change all at once. It arrived as a whisper and an opportunity. A nudge.A small yes. If you’re waiting for a big sign, here’s your reminder: big things are built from a series of tiny affirmations. Hope grows every time you choose to move one step forward. What’s one small yes you can give yourself today?