Prescription for Hope

“Fear is the mind killer.” Frank Herbert, Dune

“Fairy tales are more than true not because they tell us that dragons exist but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~ Neal Gaiman

“When you look inside anyone else’s heart, you feel your own heart.” ~ Deepak Chopra

I said I was going to push positivity like a drug. Here are some “pills” that I hope will brighten your day.

First, if you haven’t checked out John Krasinski’s SGN, (Some Good News) on YouTube, I suggest you do. Krasinski, is known for his roles on The Office, and Amazon’s Jack Ryan. In each SGN episode, he’s funny and upbeat. He shares good news from different parts of the world which helpes me feel more connected to my fellow human beings. So far, there have been three episodes that he does from his home.

This Friday, John is hosting a SGN Prom for those students who will miss their school proms because of the virus. It’s live, and though I probably won’t be watching, I love that he’s doing this. I wonder if he’ll have a live virtual graduation as well.

In the first episode of SGN, Krasinski gives the names of other sites like inspiremore.com, tanksgoodnews.com, goodnewsnetwork.org that all have positive stories. You can check them out when you are feeling down.

Last Sunday was Easter for much of the world. Many people were extremely sad that they couldn’t attend services, but Andrea Bocelli provided live church music for the world from Duomo di Milan. He called it “Music For Hope”. At the end, he stepped outside the cathedral and sang “Amazing Grace”. When I listened to it, tears streamed down my face it was so beautiful to hear his rich voice echoing among the empty buildings.

Another resource you might be interested in is the “Letters Live” channel on YouTube. These are letters from ordinary people to their loved ones while we’re all at home unable to travel. This first video, read by Benedict Cumberbatch, is an invitation to all of us to read our letters to each other, to share love, give thanks for the extraordinary work people are doing, or to give encouragement. It’s a project aimed at connecting us.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I saw each of these videos, I was so moved by the goodness of humanity. I know that if you frequent social media you can’t help but see the negative comments on posts, but remember, those nasty comments come from frightened, unhappy people. They need our prayers and forgiveness. I don’t comment back to those kinds of comments. In fact, I don’t even continue reading the comment stream when I encounter those negative online fights. I choose to give my energy to spreading love and compassion.

My sister was saying the other day that her generation (X), I’m a baby boomer, she’s not, and those that came after, haven’t faced world wars, or world wide disasters until now. They’ve had a pretty easy life. This pandemic is their crucible. So, of course, there are lots of frightened people out there having a hard time learning to cope with what’s going on. But it’s in times of crisis that we need to connect with each other, share our true hopes and fears. It’s the best way to not only feel better, but to learn something new about ourselves.

I find meditation soothing when I’m frazzled. Oprah and Deepak have lots of 21 one day meditations. Their latest one is “Hope in Uncertain Times”. You can access it online or in the Oprah&Deepak app. They are keeping it open until the stay-at-home order is lifted. And, of course, theirs in not the only mediation program. You can find them on YouTube, or other social media, and internet sites. Taking a few minutes to quiet my mind helps me settle down to get a better perspective of what’s really going on.

You can also grab a friend to take guitar or piano lessons, or learn how to bake bread, or garden, or sew masks, or learn a new language with them online. I’m lucky, I get to connect with my students, family and friends, via Zoom. My husband is working from home so it’s lovely to have lunch together every day. And I have creative projects I’m working on. I think back to the flu pandemic of 1918, ’19 and feel that we are so blessed to have the technology that enables us to connect with people across the globe.

I hope you find your own good news sites and share them with the rest of us. It’s okay to be afraid, just don’t stay stuck there because it eats away at you. Remember, you’re not alone. I’m sending prayers every day for all of us.

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. If you like what you read, share this with a friend.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2020

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.