Radical Hope

My son and his grandma at Cocoa Beach, FL

I've been thinking alot about hope. What it is, why it matters, how to find some. We are living in disorienting, upsetting, treacherous times, in the US and around the world; it seems each day brings a fresh wave of insults to the values of justice, equity, human dignity, and self-determination. I won't rehash it all here because it's exhausting, but suffice it to say that the storm feels dark and relentless.

This is when Radical Hope becomes essential. Even when circumstances pull towards fear, fatigue, or skepticism, Radical Hope is the simple act of believing that another way of being is possible. Humans crave joy, generosity, curiosity, abundance, and compassion--all of which live in the light of Radical Hope.

My Radical Hope springs from real people--messy, complicated, funny, frustrating, beautiful people and their stories. I think that's why my work has always centered around people and participation--because people gathering together is warmth and energy to me. There are people I will never forget because they embodied Radical Hope:

• The referendum volunteer who stood on a street corner in Mankato, MN on Election Day in her holiday sweater, holding a Vote Yes sign to encourage people to support smokefree workplaces;

• The doorknocking volunteer in LaCrosse, WI who vowed he would never knock doors, and then at the end of his first shift, signed up for three more, to make sure that kids in his community had a variety of higher education offerings;

• The nursing home resident in Topeka, KS who wrote a letter to her representative asking that they make sure elderly people in the state could afford high quality end-of-life care;

• The cancer survivor in Columbus, OH who shared her story of chemo and radiation with presidential candidates, and asked them to support funding for cancer research;

In the last few months I've tried to balance the darkness on my news feed with stories that continue to fuel Radical Hope. We often feel small in the ocean of pain in the world, but we should also remember, friends, that we are mighty, and we can stand together. Light lies ahead.