Hope is such a precious thing, and yet most of us regularly use the word in conversation; I hope you are OK….hopefully things will work out….etc It is as if we take for granted that there is, and always will be, hope. But hope is our water in the desert, the essence of life itself and needs to be valued and cherished. According to Greek mythology, when Pandora opened the box which released misery into the world, hope was the last thing left in the box and she shut it in to keep it.

Emily Dickinson, an American poet, wrote in 1861:

Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words/ And never stops at all

Perhaps we can imagine a flame of hope flickering inside us, like a candle. When we feel at our most robustly hopeful, it could be a Pillar candle; or if we are generally hopeful but worrying somewhat, maybe a Taper candle; and when we are really struggling to be hopeful, perhaps it is a little tealight……most importantly, we must keep the wavering flame going, protect it, and encourage it to get stronger and transform to the most resilient it can be.

One way we can do this by paying attention to our boundaries, for example, being there for others who need us without draining our own resources completely and gradually feeling hopeless. Being responsible towards others, not for them.

Giving ourselves the opportunity to draw on our environment for sources of hopefulness is another way: all around us are sights, sounds, scents, and tactile gifts from the natural world. At this time of year, we can feast our eyes (and nurture those candles) on daffodils, crocuses and spring blossom, trees and shrubs coming into leaf, birds nesting and in song, bluer skies after long dark wintery days. gentle warmth of welcome sunshine. Spring is a symbol in itself of hopefulness, promising growth and good things to come.

And let’s remember our own unique individual contribution to the spirit of hope, and offer others a smile as we pass, likely to be returned, uplifting each of us in a small but significant way, and encouraging the candle flame.

When you really think about this, there are so many ways to nurture hope in ourselves and others: consider giving the gift of fully listening, attentively, to others, so that they feel properly heard. It is a simple thing but it so helpful in enhancing well-being, increasing hope and belief that the world can be a good place.