This is too much for one L'il Bean
A cartoon, a cup of hope, and permission to not cope alone
A cartoon
A thought
It's been one of those weeks, just too much on the to-do list. Too much noise, too many feelings, too much heartbreaking news. I found myself wanting to just crawl back into bed and hide.
“I just wanna go back, back to 1999.”
Luckily, I listened to
’s new series, The Hope Portal, and something in me softened.Krista is exploring “hope as an orientation… a way of seeing and moving through the world. And it is a choice. In the face of profound, reasonable despair, it is a calling, it is a practice, a muscle.”
Her seven-week experiment is going to explore the kind of hope that “looks the world full on, it looks reality in the face, and it refuses to accept that things have to be this way. And then this orientation of hope throws one’s intelligence, one’s energy, one’s persistence, one’s creativity and courage behind that insistence. I see a revitalised, chosen, practised, applied hope — individual and communal — as urgent and necessary towards that possibility of a different world.”
Just the reminder I needed that hope doesn’t need to come from inside you every single day. It can be carried for you by friends, rest and stories. By podcasts, even.
If you need a little something to stitch your heart back together this week, give it a listen — The Hope Portal – Episode 1.
Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
Sparkly, crispy, frosty mornings.
Scheduling hurts my brain. My neurology is just not made for it, but I had a win this week by converting a monthly planner into a concertina book, which means I can see everything all at once, and it feels wonderful!
I'm proud of my daughter for handling something really tricky this week - I love you babe!
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).
Ah beautiful Gillian. I am going to follow your recommendation and follow that hope series. It is such good advice to allow others to carry some of the hope sometimes. I won't bore you with my own stories...but I really get the..."get under the blankets and retreat" need. My glimmer this week...our adult kids who sometimes carry the hope for each other when they need...not always perfectly but with a beautiful heart to do so.
Viva l'espoir! (That's 'hope' in French and, yes, I had to look it up.😉) My glimmer this morning...lowest blood pressure reading in 5 years - straight after my cycling regime while watching the sun rise. I persist in body and spirit!