Episode Details

Life Experiences That Give Hope

• Witnessing unexpected kindness - Those moments when

someone goes out of their way to help another without expecting anything in

return remind us of the fundamental goodness that exists in humanity, even

during challenging times.

We also know that our brain releases feel-good chemicals

when we show kindness to others, received kindness ourselves and witness the

kindness – it’s the ultimate win/win/win.

• Recovering from failure or setback - The experience

of falling down but finding the strength to get back up proves our resilience

and teaches us that difficulties are temporary, not permanent conditions of

life.

It’s often when we may need to ask for help or acknowledge

that we can’t do everything on our own. I want to be the kind of person that

people come to when they need support, and I also want to be willing to ask for

help when I need it.

• Reconnecting with old friends - When relationships

survive distance and time, it demonstrates that meaningful connections can

endure and even deepen, showing us that some bonds transcend circumstance. Are

you good at keeping in touch? That’s something I’d like to do a better job of –

my mom was great at this. She kept in touch with letters and cards – and then

phone calls with people for year. To this day, she still gets phione calls from

a woman who befriended her when they were stationed in Florida in the 60’s. Her

friend is in her 90’s and my mom is in her 80’s and they still do that.

So much of life feels planned – we have routines and

structure and I’m glad for that too – who wants chaos? Not me – a nice surprise

now and then – that’s cool. I remind myself and I want to remind you too that

you can Be intentional about the kind of day you want to have, the kind of

person you want to be. There’s hope in choosing. Here’s to a great day today

and an even better tomorrow.