Things That Give Me Hope Right Now

This year has been incredibly taxing and draining, and quite frankly I'm ready for it to be over. However, I try and live my life from a place of gratitude and so today I want to tell you about some things in my life and in the world that are giving me hope right now. I know it is hard to see the positives right now, but they are out there.

First and foremost, my students give me so much hope. I work with some of the most creative, compassionate and committed kids in the world. Even through one of the hardest years they have experienced my students are creating incredible work, uplifting one another, fighting against injustice and finding innovative ways to learn, create and grow. Though I haven't seen them in person in six months, I cherish the time I get with them via Zoom and can't wait to see what the future holds for my incredible group of young artists.

Another thing that is giving me hope is that people are creating again. Whether it was because of lockdown physically removing people from creative situations or the mental impacts of lockdown draining creativity, there was a major lull in the arts/culture world earlier this year, but it is starting to lift. Movie and TV are starting production again, musicians are releasing their quarantine projects, authors are finally working on new books and giving us release dates to look forward to, content creators are finding their inspiration to film or blog again. I'm so excited to see the work that come out of these difficult times.

One of the hardest parts of this year for me was being separated from my people. Now that. we know slightly more about the virus and are taking more precautions I've been able to see some of my friends again. But not only am I starting to see my "real life" community more, but my virtual community is growing. All of this downtime and isolation has given people more opportunity to reach out to people in different places from them and to seek out like-minded people via social media. I've made some awesome new social media connections in the past few weeks and that has really been helping me get through.

These are just three of the big things that are giving me hope right now, but there are more and more I'm discovering every day. My gratitude practice has helped me so much in keeping this up. I encourage you to be looking out for things, both big and small, to be grateful for right now to help you keep hope. Here are a few of the smaller things that are bringing me joy and hope right now:

-I got my hair done yesterday

-A cookie shop is opening up near my house

-One of the books I've been looking forward to came out this week (and I'm giving away a copy here!)

-I ordered some new cookie dough flavored protein and it was delicious

-It's finally cool enough at night for me to sleep with blankets

-I recorded an episode of my best friend's new podcast with her

-Popcorn M&Ms exist and are delicious

-PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON IS HERE!!

Okay... so a lot of these may be food related, but you get the point. These small points of joy and hope are just as crucial as the bigger ones. We need all the hope and joy we can get right now!

What are some of the things, both big and small, that are bringing you hope right now?

xo,

Kayla