Keeping it real

[Spacey]

I have a question. Is there a benefit to 'hope'?

For some people. It depends on what those hopes are, and how you're treating them. As I'm sure you know, the phrase "no expectations" gets shouted from the rooftops around here because many people -- all of us, in one situation or another, I'm sure -- can't make the distinction.

You have to treat your hopes like something that would be nice to occur, but not something that you're relying on. I hope I get a good parking spot at the mall, but if I don't, no harm done.

I hope W will come home, but if she doesn't, life will go on.

There are times when we can't do that, though. Where hopes and expectations are inseparable. If you're going through that right now, it may be best to put those hopes in a drawer, and to not take them out for a while.

If we didn't have any hopes for the future, we'd have no goals, no ambitions, and no drive. Hope can do a lot for us! But sometimes it hurts us, and it's OK to put it away when it does.

...any tips on how to reply?

I wish I had some. Just reading that makes it difficult for me to breathe right now.