Where I find hope in Daydreaming on the Porch

There are many things that offer me hope in this life and when I recently thought about some of them and wrote them down on paper, I felt a sense of peace as they stirred such pleasant memories. Not surprisingly, I discover many sources of hope in Nature, as I have throughout my life, and never so much as now when my youth is long since gone. Here are some of them that I wrote down:

*** Sunrays reaching down to Earth from massive clouds. Every time I see sunrays I feel a sense of hope and elation. I saw sunrays spreading across the sky in Edmonds, Washington 26 years ago right after my father died. I felt hope that he was in a better place after a long struggle with cancer and that things would be okay.

*** Late afternoon sunlight filtering through ancient live oaks at the state park where on countless occasions I have sought refuge and sanctuary from the seemingly endless demands on my time from caregiving and taking care of my 94-year-old mother.

*** A beautiful, small waterfall that I come across unexpectedly while in the mountains. I often say to myself that there’s no more splendid and miraculous sight in Nature than a waterfall. It’s such a thrill to see them. All the cares of the world disappear while experiencing the cascading flow of water. It’s been almost ten years since I’ve been to the mountains. I really can’t go anywhere more than about ten miles from where I live these days.

*** Another mountain treasure that provides me with a strong sense of hope and peace is a gently flowing stream, its soft music transporting me away from on the cares of the world.

*** Finally, certain songs and pieces of instrumental music lift me up and away from feelings of depression and hopelessness. “I Can See Clearly Now,” sung by Johnny Nash, is my favorite song and to me embodies hope. The peaceful and transcendently beautiful, “Meditation from Thais,” by Jules Massenet and performed by either Sarah Chang or Bonfiglio on harmonica is to me the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

Sarah Chang

Bonfiglio

Johnny Nash — “I Can See Clearly Now”

Where do you find hope?