When I ask people how they feel about 2021, the two words that pop up the most are “Uncertain” and “Hopeful.”
Many of us are living in that limbo-land, between Uncertain and Hopeful — desiring a positive outcome but unsure it will happen. We often feel pulled in opposing directions by our desires and by reality.
One of the features of our world is that we live in a dimension of paradoxes – which can be both alarming and invigorating.
Consider that these two words Uncertain and Hopeful are paradoxical in nature. And that within each of these words lies yet another paradox.
Take the word Uncertain. Some might define it to mean unsureness, lack of clarity or tentativeness. Yet, paradoxically, uncertainty is often the doorway to the world of possibility…creating a blank canvas of opportunity upon which you can write, create and manifest a wonderful and delightful future.
Hope can also go in two different directions, depending on your definition. Hope for some could mean a reliance on something intangible and therefore not something to be counted on. A grasping at straws. In that context, Hope can feel as fragile as water leaking through our fingers.
Yet Hope can be the flame that refuses to be extinguished – that burns eternally and serves as the lighthouse, beckoning us to safer harbours and greater exploration.
It’s up to each of us to choose our definitions. It’s the meaning we give words that breathes life or death into them, making them something we want to run to, or run from.
2021 is sure to have ups and downs. The question is, what words will we choose and what meaning will we give them? Will the words we offer help us draw a deeper breath of peace? Will they soothe our overtaxed, raw emotions? Will they result in actions that bring neighbours together or tear us further apart?
Will we use our words and actions to uplift and strengthen the core of our communities, weaving together colourful fibers of diversity into whole cloth?
I hope that is what INSPIRED Magazine does.
I am uplifted every month by those whose stories grace the pages of this magazine. I’m deeply grateful for the people who support me in achieving this – my staff, suppliers, writers, distributors and the businesses whose advertising provides the financial means by which INSPIRED Magazine can continue to publish.
In December I was thrilled when a number of readers reached out to tell me how they were sharing INSPIRED Magazine with others. One lady in Vancouver says she picks up armfuls of our magazine to take to her apartment. She regularly monitors our distribution rack, removing any debris or other magazines that get stacked on top.
Several readers told me they send their copies to friends or relatives in other provinces.
One gentleman, about to enter the hospital for surgery, asked me to send him a year of back issues so he would have something to read during his convalescence. Another asked me to send some back issues to a senior residence in lockdown so friends she cannot visit would have some inspiring content to read.
These notes, calls, and emails reminded me afresh about the reasons why I started the magazine and what keeps me going through the tough times.
As we head into 2021, let us be mindful of the words we use and the meaning we give them. Use the Uncertainty in your life as an opportunity to try new things. Hold fast to the Hope that light and love offer.
Above all, let us be mindful of one another. Spread Graciousness and Kindness liberally around.
May 2021 bring blessings to all.
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What a wonderful article you have written. It is so inspiring that I will return to it when I need any reassurance or reminding that I have the power within me to choose how I define any given moment. Thank you Barbara!