A Realist Optimist’s Dream

Photo by Author.

The correlation between hope and action is something that has arisen in too many conversations as of late to not sit down and write about it.
There are only so many nudges that one can ignore from the universe.

So where does hope meet action?
I’m not entirely sure, but I am sure that this meeting point points toward our future.
I’ve often stood in firm opposition to the idea that optimism is equivalent to naivety.
I think it’s quite the opposite, but perhaps here is where I should redefine what I mean by optimism.

I consider myself to be a realist optimist and optimism to simply mean being open to possibility rather than fixed in the way things are or what is likely to become.
Realistic optimism is knowing that within possibility lies every potential outcome, even ones we wish weren’t there.
Yet, still pushing on toward a future we dream of instead of one that we fear.
It’s an honest look at where we are and how much further we have to go.
It’s the commitment and courage to take action and to follow through, always.

It’s resiliency.
It’s determination.
It’s grit.
It’s the hope that lies within each and everyone one of us that says yes you can, yes I can…
Yes we can.
Because hope, like optimism, is more than an idea locked within letters.
The real beauty of each word lies in the memories of how those letters have shaped our world through the individuals who lived by them.

I choose optimism because I believe in change.
And most importantly, I believe in each individual’s ability to contribute to it.
Never give up on hope.
Never give up on change.
Never give up on optimism.
Because the real home of each was never inside of one person,
One moment,
Or one word.
Their real home was, and always will be inside of every single person on this planet.
Patiently waiting for us to raise a reality from the sum of each optimist’s dream.

Photo by Author.