It’s often said that when all else fails, we always have hope. But is that how we really want to accept the idea of hope? That it’s the last thing remaining after every other option has failed? In some sense that might be true, but this idea completely ignores the true importance and power of hope. For hope isn’t last, it’s first. Hope is the thing that gets us out of bed in the morning. Hope is the thing that inspires us and makes us believe that anything is possible. When we were young, we hoped to be astronauts, firefighters, doctors, professional athletes; and this hope is what drove us to believe we could do it. Our hope was limitless and abundant. But what about now? What does hope mean to you? What does hope feel and look like to you? Is hope still alive and well in you or have life experiences dampened or smothered it a little bit? Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it matters that we remain hopeful for something better, something bigger, something bolder. Especially with easy access to news and world events that chip away at our aspirations, it is important to surround ourselves and create pathways for hope. So, what do you hope for… for yourself? For others? For your community? For the world? It’s time to be hopeful and hope for the best. Being hopeful matters.