on hope

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, then you know that a couple of weeks ago, we said goodbye to our beloved little Rufus -- he became suddenly and painfully ill, and we made the excruciatingly difficult decision to put him to sleep.  He was only 5 years old, and I haven't had it in me to mention it here on the blog before now.  Alex and Marcus were upset, obviously, but since I work at home and Rufus was my daily companion, he was really my dog.  His death feels like the end of an era, and he's missed terribly.

I'm working through it, but overall, I'm doing fine.  What's weird, however, is that I'm suddenly noticing "endings" everywhere I go:  for example, our next door neighbour's house was bought by a builder, and this week a bulldozer tore it down -- now there's just a pile of rubble where a 50-year-old house once stood.   Also, this week, I went through my closet and found a ton of clothes that no longer fit -- so I wrapped them up and took them to the donation centre.   Even President Obama's announcement of radical changes in the 50-year policies that guided the relationship between the United States and Cuba yesterday ... all endings.

Please know that as I share these thoughts with you, I'm not complaining in the least.  In fact, as I look at all of these endings, I'm slowly starting to realize that while some (although not all) of these endings might feel sad (and admittedly, some are sadder than others), each of them nonetheless opens up whole new possibilities for good -- for amazing.  They all clear the slate for great potential.  And even if I might not be able to identify exactly what that potential might be, I'm actually quite hopeful.

This week is the last week of Alex's fall semester (ending!), and then we take off for a family Christmas holiday.  And of course, the end of the year rapidly approaches.  But I'm beginning to feel a glimmer of excitement for the new year -- for, as you remember, my word for 2015 is THRIVE -- and it feels like that word is spot on.  (In fact, also this week, I had a sudden great idea for a new online workshop that I'll be launching in the next few days, based on thriving -- and I can't wait to share it with you.)

I was watching a television show last night, and it ended with the main character musing that in his experience, the most important emotion we can experience isn't love, so much as hope.  I don't know if that's true or not, but I can tell you that the hope I'm feeling through all of these endings has been of great comfort, indeed.  And I suppose the reason that I share my thoughts here is to tell you that my greatest wish, as the year winds down, is that you're feeling some hope, too.

In other words, keep seeking the light, friends.

Song:  All that I want by The Weepies