Hope, as we are discussing it here, is not "wishful thinking" or "unrealistic optimism." Hope is a deep, uplifting feeling we have that things will work out fine, regardless of how they may look at the moment and regardless of whether they work out as we may have predicted. People who generally experience hope are buffered from dread or disappointment. The gift hope offers is that it keeps us in the present, accepting life as it unfolds. It allows us to forget about our issues or concerns and just live. When we get involved with our thinking about what might happen, we end up going in circles in our minds because we don't know and it's easy to slip into worst-case scenarios. The feeling -- the attitude -- of hope, keeps us curious and open, without fear.
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