18 Aug Hope | Aug 2022

Picture of Hope

Allen’s Hummingbird, male, perched on a Plumeria leaf.

This is a picture of hope.

Okay, you can tell it’s an Allen’s Hummingbird perched on a leaf.

But it was hope that led to this photo.

In fact, all my photos are the result of hope.

That’s because there is no guarantee a bird (or anything else) will be there waiting for me.

Yet, I still go out. And I search. And I wait.

Sometimes I’m lucky.

A bird arrives.

Then I have to act quickly to capture a photo during the seconds until the bird leaves.

After that I have to look through hundreds (sometimes thousands) of photos to find one worth showing.

Now, I realize this description of my photo process might seem so uncertain that many would consider it discouraging.

And that’s the point.

We are constantly choosing whether to do something or to do nothing.

So reflect upon your achievements for a moment. What caused you to:

– Accept a challenge?

– Confront an adversity?

– Start a project?

Every time that you chose “Yes,” you acted with hope.

You acted with the belief you would prevail. The belief you would gain something. The belief you would make a difference.

This leads to a challenge for all of us (including me):

How can we put more hope in our lives?

How can we make it the guiding force in our choices?

And even, how can we share this hope with others.

Because doing this opens the way to taking actions that make a difference.

And in turn, that leads to greater serenity because then we know we are contributing to a better future for humanity.

Solution Tip

Sometimes, I feel stuck.

Yes, I’m human.

So I’ll make a list of my “challenges” (which is a nice word for disappointments, obstacles, setbacks, and such).

Then for each challenge, I’ll write a list of actions that I can take to resolve it.

This list might span everything from simple actions that take minutes to big actions that require a lifetime to absurd actions that are impossible.

Finally, I’ll prioritize the items on the lists.

And then I do what I can with what I have.

Last night, I filled two pages. And today, I completed a few of the (easy) actions.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Find More at:

Birds and Adversity

Why You?

Conversation with a Small Bird

Why Hope Matters

Wisdom from Nature

Did You Know?

The most effective way to help birds is to buy land.

Here are three organizations that excel at doing this.

1) American Bird Conservancy

2) The Nature Conservancy

3) The Trust for Public Land

Please visit their web sites to learn about the work they do.

Here’s an excellent book: The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation

You can help – Please share this blog with others.

Inspiring Respect for Nature, one bird at a time.

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