The happiness of hope affects everything we do in any given day. We don’t consciously sit and think about being hopeful as a general rule, but if we didn’t have hope we would not be able to do much of anything.

During my meditation this morning I tried an exercise suggested by Frank Kern in a video he did with a guy who has developed a site called “Mind Movies”. Frank was introducing this guy to the world at large primarily because Frank has found that visualization has worked well in his life. His method was discovered by accident one day when he decided to write out what his perfect day would be like.

So in my little exercise, I wrote down what I saw while playing my meditation music. I wrote down the images that came into my mind while in meditation. It was an interesting thing to do but I’m not sure about the results. The visions I saw while meditating have little to do with my current life. Still I’ll share one example from the fourth movement:

The winds blow fiercely outside our warm and dry cave dwelling. The seasons change. Crystals in the breezes. Harmonic sun beams wisp by on the flow.  We greet the morning with open arms and smiling faces, ready to embrace the day.

We waft on the breeze as if trees dancing. We revere the sunrise. We glorify the beauty of existence as we greet another beautiful day we have to share with each other.

We look at each other, clasp hands, turn our heads and smile into the wind.

It is hope of a better tomorrow that keeps me focused and working today. It is the possibility of bringing greater happiness to myself and those around me that makes my work worthwhile.

Hope requires action. The act of hope requires optimism. Optimism requires an understanding that things can always get better or stay wonderful once true happiness is achieved.

The happiness of hope is a state of being where optimism permeates deep into the unknown future.  We are like children again and can’t wait to get out of bed to see what joys and pleasantries each new day will bring.  This is one result gained from “The Internet Lifestyle” when everything is going right.

A hammock in silhouette against a beautiful sunset on a quiet bay along the shores of Lake Superior. This is the happiness of hope in action. There will be other happy days spent there in appreciation of life while contemplating the smallness of man.