It is time to build Hope into your life!
While we were home, laying around, fighting COVID, Carol and I did A LOT of reading. After Carol finished up the book that she was reading for her Book Club, she wasn't quite sure what she should pick up next. We couldn't go to the library, so she walked over to our bookshelf in the family room to look through our collection.
She came back into the room smiling, carrying the Book of Hope by Jane Goodall. That one has been on my To Read list for quite a while, but I have not gotten to it yet. While the kids were in the family room playing games, or watching movies, Carol and I were sitting on the couch in the other room, just reading our books. When we read together, we tend to pause from time to time to share the interesting ideas or topics that we come across. Since I wanted to read The Book of Hope at some point, I was very curious to hear what she felt was worthy of pausing to share from what she had been reading.
After we had been reading for about an hour together, with several pauses to share. She paused, took a breath and waited a moment before she began sharing. Almost as if she needed to process what she had just read for herself. Then she read the passage from The Book of Hope that discussed what Goodall refers to as the Hope Cycle. After taking a moment to digest what Carol had just shared, I realized how important that Cycle is for all of us. However, I found myself focusing on our patients, and how they would benefit from this concept. Goodall was talking about a much larger picture. Talking about the need for hope on a societal level, but the concept can still be applied to any individual.
She described four parts of the Hope Cycle. The first step is to set realistic GOALS to pursue. Once we set the goals we need to determine the PATHWAYS that will allow us to accomplish them. As we pursue those goals and move down the pathways, we inevitably build CONFIDENCE. The final piece of the Hope Cycle, and in my opinion the most important, is SUPPORT. Once we have reached this point the cycle begins again.
In our office, we strive to impact each stage of the Hope Cycle, but the Support stage is the one where we, at FC&R, can play an even more vital role. We can help to assess the areas that are contributing to the physical issues that our patient is dealing with. It is our job to use that information to help the patient establish their Goals, and helping to build the Pathways to reach those goals. Eventually, as the goals are reached, then Confidence is built. This process increases Hope that whatever obstacle has been in your way can be overcome, but it is the support throughout this journey that makes it all possible.
If you or someone you know needs Hope, know that we will do everything that we can to help them!
