The Hope Game

Meg's comment to my last post reminded me that yes, indeed, there is another group besides Those Who See Things As They Are and Those Who See Things As They Were.

As Meg said, the third group is Those Who See Things As They Could Become. And like Meg, I am a member of that club also. How about you?

Even as that 14-year-old in the back seat of the family car, I'd gaze at those abandoned houses and ask myself, "What would I do if I had to live there? How would I fix it up?" And then, room by room, I'd walk through the house in my mind, decorating the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. I'd slap on paint, wallpaper and add furniture, knick-knacks. I'd mow the grass, plant gardens and trees.

And you know? I'm still playing that game now in mid-life.

Near us there's a street which, many years ago, was in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most bars (taverns). Squeezed between these bars are ancient houses and most are dilapidated, yet with backyards larger than mine. 

Well, sometimes I walk down this street and play the "What if Tom and I lost everything and had to live in one of these old apartment houses?" game. How would I make it as nice as possible for the two of us? What kinds of things would I salvage to use for decor?

Ok, that smells an awful lot like Pollyanna's Glad Game again, I know. But truthfully? I love to play this "What If?" game. It's a game of hope. It brims my heart with the hope that no matter what, I could make a cozy nest for us. A tiny place where we'd feel love and safety, rather than sorrow and depression for what we'd lost. A warm, bright, shelter in a storm.

I've never had a name for that before. I guess I'll call it The Hope Game.

Any other Hope Game players out there?



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"(If) we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality."... Nikos Kazantzakis