Holding Onto Hope.

“ Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”

- Suzanne Collins, Author of The Hunger Games.

Earlier this afternoon as I scrolling through social media, it occurred to me that memes and articles about positive self- image and acceptance seem to a popular topic of conversation. This is something that I have personally struggled with a lot, especially lately.

One of my favourite authors and someone who I consider to be a revolutionary thinker named, Brene Brown says that, “ loving ourselves through the process of owning our own story is the bravest thing we’ll ever do. I will be the first to admit that lately, I have royally sucked at owning the shit that’s happening to me. I have spent a great deal of time mentally scrutinizing my body. Because of recurrent infections due to catheterization, I have lost a significant amount of weight and muscle, and I am tired all the time. I am in denial. Even after months of dealing with this vicious cycle, it still doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t make sense. All of this is a reminder of what I used to be able to do. It’s a reminder of how physically strong I was, and the person I worked so hard to be.

As I write this, a recent conversation that I had with my mother comes to mind about what it really means to have hope. She said something that I’ll never forget:

“ Hope is not believing that everything will happen exactly the way we imagine it to. Hope is knowing that everything will happen exactly the way it is supposed to.”

Life has taught me that something good comes out of each one of our challenges, even if we can’t see it right away. I truly believe that the adversity you encounter in your own life reveals itself to serve a special purpose and shape you into a transformed version of yourself… whatever that looks like!

So, while I wait, I will be holding onto hope.