Skip to main content

To Hope or Not to Hope

(from the Jodie ½ of Lydia Dare)

Hope…

Hope, hope, hope.

I spent most of yesterday hoping an idea would pop in my head for this blog.

Alas… no luck.

But I’m not one for hope, not most of the time anyway. I think there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who hope and those who don’t. And then there are people who name their children things like Hope, Faith and Charity… But now that I think about it, those people are probably in the first group of people. I’m in the latter.

That’s not to say I’m a “Negative Nelly.” I think I’m just more of a pragmatist. I remember as a child the whole “Is the glass half full or half empty” question was posed to me. I must have been 8 years old or so at the time. My response, you wonder? Very quietly, I replied, “Its half a glass of water.” Pragmatic. That’s me.

And sarcastic.

A sarcastic pragmatist who doesn’t hope. There, now don’t you feel sorry for my family? I know they feel sorry for themselves. And then, there’s my poor, beleaguered writing partner, Tammy. You should all feel very sorry for her – she has to put up with me on a daily basis.

But I’ve gotten off topic. Where was I? Oh, yes – HOPE.

Sure, I’d like to see world peace and discover that all the whales have been saved. I vote in every election and even donate money to charities that I feel passionate about, but hoping just isn’t part of my everyday life. I think I’m too busy to hope. I think I work toward the goals I want to accomplish and don’t think about hoping about the outcome. Does that make sense?

Or am I just rambling? (That is certainly a possibility.)

But I did warn you that nothing hope-related sprang to mind today. So instead of spending the rest of the day continuing to hope that something will eventually occur to me, I figured it was better, in the end, to get my rambling thoughts down on paper.

So tell me - What camp are you in? Are you someone who hopes or someone who does not? Do you think the glass is half empty or half full? And do you think those questions are even related?

Comments

  1. My dad used to call me a hopeless optimist. Of all the family, I always had high, high expectations of life in general. I think as the years wear on, I've become more of a realist. But I'm still an optimist. I don't think it's a matter of hope though. I think it's a matter of doing to make those dreams come true.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was raised (at least partially) by a superstitious grandmother so buried down deep is an element of pure hope, but overlaying that is the knowledge that I must WORK for those things that are important to me. Sitting on my fanny and hoping to finish the next three books isn't going to get them written. Hoping that Deb likes them enough to buy more when I get them done is alright, though! At this point in my life, I'm learning to hope for the energy to get out there and work for all the things that I still want to accomplish before I slide up to the Pearly Gates. Is that a bit like one of those rings that are silver on the inside and plated with pure gold?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't know if I'm a half full or half emppt kind of person. It probably depends on the day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm more of a pragmatic, "Yeah, that's a glass" person, too. ;-) I agree with Carolyn's comment - you can have all the hopes and dreams in the world, but those hopes and dreams we have control over likely won't be achieved without factoring in some hard work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey everyone. I was HOPING to get some time to comment, but I've been so busy at work! ;)

    We seem to all be in agreement about the working to make your dreams come true point. I'm glad each of you have worked so hard to make your dreams come true. :) ~Jodie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm the pragmatist who works hard and doesn't have time to waste hoping

    As for whether the glass is half full or half empty--that depends on if you're the one drinking or the one pouring.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I honestly have always hated that question half full/half empty. Should be thankful that there is something in the glass at all? LOL

    I guess I walk the middle road. So that would make me pragmatic. Yes sometimes I do hope for the best but I do live in reality and that keeps me grounded.

    You can hope for the best but expect the worst. Thoughts like these can become a distraction.

    I think I like my mom's outlook. Everything will work itself out. Though this sounds optimistic, what she really was trying to day was that at some point everything has a resolution good or bad and she was the most realistic, down the earth person on the entire planet. I miss her wisdom in that regard.

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I guess I hope, but I'm realistic about it. I prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I admit it, I'm a hoper. I'm a worker too, but when the things I can't control go wrong, I still have hope they'll come out okay - even when the situation looks hopeless to other people. And so far, my hope was right!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I guess we all hope some times. Most of the time I just take the days one day at a time and just see what happens.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I was trying to find a picture for the iconic glass set and google images brought me to your wonderful medium.

    I think I have to go with a new theory of the contents. The perception I am hoping to build is that neither glass is fit for me. My glass needs to be full.

    After all, it has two fluids simultaneously. The second fluid being the Air. That's how I would like to live my life. Always full

    :)

    I hope my jumbled thoughts resonate with some of you. Cheers!!

    P.S. May I please use the glasses picture for sharing it with my personal friends?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Jodie! It depends on my mood, whether that glass is half full or half empty. :}

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment