HOPE

The world has gone around the sun once more. In all my fifty plus years I have never had to face such a turbulent year. My emotions, health status, and metabolism, all followed the transverse wave pattern. The crest and trough were as far apart as it is humanly possible!

They said that when Pandora let open the Pithoi (Box in Greek) left in her care, all the evils of the present world which were entrapped in it escaped; though she tried to close the box it was too late and only one thing -“Hope” was let out to control the maleficence of her act.  By the middle of the year I had no energy or inclination to believe that there are any ups in life. Hope refused to come into my line of control!

COVID destroyed my faith in resurgence ; malaise and weakness enveloped me in its cocoon, and I was content to wallow in the warmth of the care, my family gave me. I think I completed the quota of sleep that I had lost out on during my student days and bringing up my baby days! Eat-sleep- eat- repeat became the pattern of my life. My mother’s passing away, twice being admitted to a hospital and the gloomy forecast did not help my cause. I chose to ignore the positives –my daughter’s wedding, that I survived COVID and our moving into our own home.

I lay watching the lovely scene outside the bedroom window. The rain had made everything green, the small hamlet filled with cottages with their red roofs, the rain swallows piping merrily and swooping in and out of the clouds brightened my days.

Slowly I moved into the balcony which gave me a magnificent view of my beloved mountains draped with black and white clouds. The early mornings and late afternoons were graced by the glorious sun; the night sky was adorned with the twinkling stars and the phases of the moon.

Suddenly energy leaped and strove to escape my mind and I got busy doing up the house. I forgot the resurgence of energy was only in my mind and I collapsed again! “Hope” did not have a chance! Back into the trough I went.

The new year came and went . I knew I had to push back this cloak of darkness and look at the new sunrise if I were to get back even a semblance of normalcy.

The new adult in our family was around, behaving like a child. Pointing out the loveliness of the scenery and underlining my luck. Both she and the lord of the house had taken over the reins of house running and their comic moments lightened my mood.

One day I heard the bleating of the goats in the background. I was deeply ensconced in my game, and I doubt if I would have registered it if the Young Adult had not forced me to come and look down at the ground below. There were hundreds of goats crossing in front of our apartment to move to (what I presume) a fresh grazing field. The whole lot were controlled by a young youth with a stick in his hand. What made him able? What made the goats listen to him? What made both to cross over to the unknown realm?

I believe it was ‘Faith’, that life will take care of the strays, that the power beyond our comprehension will lead us on to greener pastures and the circle of existence will guide us from darkness to light. My ‘faith then pulled out ‘hope’ from the murky depths of events and I went on to grow like the creepers towards sunlight and positivity.

Now as I still rest on the moss encompassed mind, I feel the warmth of love, hope and compassion lead me on to a rainbow land and hope that I can once again lead a busy and eventful life.

So do you believe that faith and hope triumph against all odds?