Ray’s Daily
April 30, 2921
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
HELEN KELLER
I worry that some folks have let despair destroy their ability to hope during these difficult times. There is growing evidence showing that there are better days are ahead. In my view hopelessness leads to distress, stagnation and inaction.
Please believe that those who retian their abilty to embrace hope will be ready to take advantage of a better tomorrow. Here a few thoughts I captured off the internet that provide some insight into why hope is important for us all to retain.
Why Hope Is So Vital
Most people associate hope with a dire situation. People hope to get out of difficult circumstances. That is often when people do find themselves hoping fervently! But hope also can provide the key to making everyday life better.
That’s because just envisioning something hopeful – the child seeing herself riding her new bike, for example – gives a person a moment of happiness, according to Psychology Today. It can make present difficulties much easier to bear.
An example of that is reported by the American Psychology Association. Children who grew up in poverty but had success later in life all had one thing in common – hope. Dr. Valerie Maholmes, who worked on the research, said hope involves “planning and motivation and determination” to get what one hopes for.
Deeper Meaning
In a way, having hope links your past and present to the future. You have a vision for what you hope will happen. Whether it does not, just envisioning it can make you feel better. And if it’s something you can somewhat control – like the kids working to get out of poverty – then hope can motivate you to take whatever steps you need to take.
Dr. Neel Burton, a book author who writes about emotions, writes that he always asks patients for what they hope for, because if they say “nothing” then that is a sign of depression or worse.
Having hope is important to the very act of being a human being. As Dr. Judith Rich writes, “Hope is a match in a dark tunnel, a moment of light, just enough to reveal the path ahead and ultimately the way out.”
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They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.
TOM BODETT
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Joan: You know, my ex never came right out and criticized my cooking. He would just make snide remarks.
Mary: Like what?
Joan: He’d look at his plate and ask, “Was the dog not hungry?”
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If Barbie’s so popular, why do you have to buy all her friends?
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Dentist: “Try to relax. I’ll pull that aching tooth in five minutes.”
Patient: “How much will this cost?”
Dentist: “It’ll be $100.”
Patient: “That much for just five minutes work?”
Dentist: “Well if you prefer, I can pull it out very slowly.”
~~~
The cardiologist’s diet: if it tastes good, spit it out.
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Feeling Stressed?
Picture yourself near a stream …Birds are chirping softly in the crisp, cool mountain air … Nothing can bother you here … No one knows this secret place … You are in total seclusion from that place called The World … The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity … The water is clear … You can easily make out the face of the person whose head you’re holding under the water …
There now … Feeling better?
~~~
Don’t cry because it’s over: smile because it happened.
~~~
A man and a little boy entered a barbershop together.
After the man received the full treatment – shave, manicure, haircut,etc. – he placed the boy in the chair.
“I’m goin’ to buy a tie to wear to the party,” he said.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
When the boy’s haircut was done and the man still hadn’t returned, the barber said, “It looks like your daddy forgot all about you.”
“That wasn’t my daddy,” said the boy. “He just walked up, took me by the hand and said, ‘Come on, son, we’re gonna get a free haircut!'”
~~~
Most people would like to be delivered from temptation, but would like it to keep in touch.
Robert Orben
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A group of elderly Jewish men meet every Wednesday for coffee and a chat. They drink their coffee and then sit for hours discussing the world situation. Usually, their discussion is very negative. One day, Aaron surprises his friends by announcing, loud and clear, “You know what? I’ve now become an optimist.”
Everyone is totally shocked and all conversation dries up. But then Sam notices something isn’t quite right and he says to Aaron, “Hold on a minute, if you’re an optimist, why are you looking so worried?”
Aaron replies, “Do you think it’s easy being an optimist?”
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The trouble with being punctual is that no one notices it when you are.
~~~
All of his life, Len had heard stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on water on their 21st birthday. On that day, they’d walk across the lake to the boat club for their first legal drink.
So, when Len’s 21st birthday came around, he and his friend, Corky, took a boat out to the middle of the lake. Len stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned! Corky just managed to pull him to safety. Furious and confused, Len went to see his grandmother.
“Grandma, it’s my 21st birthday, so why can’t I walk across the lake like my father, his father and his father before him?”
Granny looked Len straight in the eyes and said, “Because your father, grandfather and great- grandfather were born in January. You were born in July.”
~~~
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
DALE CARNEGIE
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Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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