HOPE & New Year’s Resolution!

How many believe in making a New Year’s Resolution or setting goals?

How many of you believe in Hope?

How many of you believe that “Patience is the virtue”?

How many of you believe in being Persistence?

If you think for a minute, all the four questions I asked are interrelated. If any of them is missing, or you don’t believe in it, it will derail you from achieving your goal, dream, or any other activity or Task you are trying to accomplish. It may sound false initially; however, let me tell you one small story that will prove how all these are connected.

My friend gifted me an Orchid plant around three years back. But before this, I had bought Orchid plants multiple times for home decoration. You won’t believe it. Every time I ended up throwing away this plant, I could never understand how to regrow this Orchid and keep it healthy. If you read in Google, it says it just needs a spoonful of water or a couple of ice cubes every 3–4 days. I tried that, but the result was a disaster. The Orchid dried and died after some time. So, next time, I changed the frequency of pitting ice cubes. Every 2–3 days, I would add some ice cubes. Unfortunately, this also didn’t work. Later, I tried adding more water instead of ice cubes, but Orchid died from overwatering.

I grew exhausted and tried all different techniques but failed every time. I accepted it as an impossible task for me. Since then, I never bought any Orchid. However, I got another one as a gift. This one was special as one of my close friends gifted this plan to me.

Let me show you a pic of this Orchid after almost 2.5 years …..

Beautiful! Isn’t it? Well, this is the first Orchid of my life, which regrew and flowered after three years of waiting. What happened? What did I do differently this time?

This time, I kept my Hopes high; I was patient and remained committed to taking care of the plant. I didn’t stop watering moderately. Most importantly ,I didn’t bother too much when the Orchid didn’t start blooming. I continued to do my best for months and years without thinking about the outcome. I was determined not to throw it away at any cost this time. In the first few months, I checked the plant daily for any sign of budding and regrowth. Gradually, I stopped doing that either. I decided not to focus on the results; instead, I continued to do my Tasks like watering moderately, ensuring the roots were moist enough, and not drying. I didn’t know if I would be successful. But I had Hope, and I tried to remain positive and patient. After waiting for more than two years, my Hope finally came alive. Last month, I noticed that this Orchid regrew with not only one or two buds but two new branches with multiple buds. I was exhilarated. It was one of the happiest moments of my life this year, 2023.

If I say in 3 words- High Hopes, Patience, and Commitment helped me to achieve what I wanted. Having Hope is one of the best virtues in life. It inspires you to face difficult times, pursue your dreams and goals, and have the strength and resilience to overcome challenges and setbacks.

In today’s chaotic world, there are many reasons why Hope is more important than ever. Hope motivates us to keep going, even when things seem impossible, like in my case. I wasn’t sure if this Orchid plant would ever flower again. When we have Hope, we believe that better days are ahead and we will finally reach our destination. We could live through the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic because we had Hope. What is happening between Gaza and Israel, or between Russians and Ukraine, I am hopeful, and I am sure you all too, that we will have peace eventually. Hope is significant because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can take a hardship today.

In short, Hope is an integral part of our life. It teaches us patience, motivates us to continue marching ahead, and helps us persevere and remain committed. So, my dear readers, keep your hopes high and set some goals for the new year 2024 without worrying about the outcome. Make some resolutions, as I am sure that, like my Orchid plant’s story, you will eventually accomplish what you want.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. By Emily Dickinson