Suicide has been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic. We are hearing about those who have died from suicide and those who are just done, tired, and exhausted. Just exhausted! Lifestyles have changed, relationships have changed, jobs have been lost or changed, you name it. There is change everywhere and from every direction. Change, change, change. Sickness and fear have taken over people’s lives and keeping our spirit up can be extremely challenging at times like this.
What gives us energy is that hope. If we have hope, we can push through so many challenges. Hope means I am not going to define life based on my momentary experience. Hope means I will keep reminding myself of those times that things changed. Hope means based on past life experiences I know this will change. Hope means I look beyond what is on the surface and go deeper with the message behind the experiences. Hope means I will close my eyes, take a deep breath, and hear my own heartbeat and ask about the purpose and message behind all this. Hope means I will play a different music every day, a different melody, and remember there is a flow to life that has ups and downs; when things go low, eventually there will be a lift even though I may not see it now.