HOPE

These last few years and months have been rough going for a great many of us.  We struggled through Covid and the restrictions it entailed.  Workplaces were restructured to allow many to work from home, schools were closed and students got their lessons via computer.  Families communicated through FaceTime with no physical contact.  Most types of entertainment became off-limits unless we could watch it on television or a computer screen.  Our leaders were not exactly brimming over with confidence and we were all aware of it.  

      As if we hadn’t lost enough lives, mass shootings became popular.  Children, who had gotten back into classroom learning situations, discovered the danger of a single, unstable person, intent on destroying their young lives.  Total strangers drew down on total strangers at bars and places of business.  Some killers used vehicles to plow down as many victims as possible.  

     The weather, always unpredictable, has been exceptionally so lately.  Fires, floods, and storms have become mundane.  Family sanctuaries have burned to the ground, blown away, or, in some cases, slid off their foundations.  Family memories were reduced to tattered paper and broken, sentimental objects. New memories are of reuniting family and locating shelter before starting the long process of starting life anew.  

     The world situation is dicey, to say the least.  As our older folk used to say, “The world has gone to Hell in a handbasket.”  I still don’t know what a handbasket is but we all get the point.  Powerful countries are at odds with one another, playing with very high stakes.  One single action or slip of a word could cause worldwide chaos.  

     John Rourke, main character in our Survivalist series, was prone to be a little over the top when it came to planning ahead for any type of emergency.  He stockpiled supplies, studied medicine, martial arts, and building skills as well as creating a library of additional knowledge that would have rivaled that of any town.  

      Keep in mind, that he wasn’t doing this for himself, but rather to protect his family.  If disaster struck, he had enough food, and the capacity to grow more, electricity and clothing to sustain them all for many years.  Rourke’s wife, Sarah, was thrilled that her husband’s idea of her wardrobe needs amounted to jeans and flip-flops.

     Rourke may have come off like a gloom and doomer but, he was proven to be correct.  He never wanted the entire world to collapse.  He hoped that he was wrong. He hoped life would be good and his children would grow up in a loving, safe environment. But he chose the right path and they stayed safe and sound while millions perished.  Sarah was still pissed off!

     The one thing we tend to have in survival situations is that no matter how overwhelming a situation can be, we normally maintain a certain amount of hope.  We know something bad is coming but maybe it can be avoided; one door closes and another one opens, etc.  We hope tomorrow will be better.  Hope is part of our genetic makeup.  Most of us can hit bottom and feel miserable and angry but we don’t want to stay down there forever.  We need the light.  

     Some of us need help getting back up to the light. Maybe they’ve been down too long and could use a hand up.  A smile or an encouraging word can go a long way, and so can making those in charge do the right thing, be it business personnel. educators, or local government.

Maybe if we all work hard at fixing the broken pieces, hope stands a better chance.

      Things on our planet look a little bit rocky right now but let’s hope for a better things to come.  Let's hope that our world leaders rise to the occasion and we can all have a better tomorrow.  And let's keep planning ahead, just in case.

Sharon