ISBC 4 - Hope is Not Toxic Positivity
Chapter 4 of Hope: A User's Manual
Just a reminder, please pick up MaryAnn’s book and read along with these reflections. Today we are with chapter 4 in the section on what hope is not…
Toxic positivity may feel safe, but as I discovered with my daughter, it’s anything but. Authentic presence without answers, by contrast, is brave. And hopeful too.1
A few weeks ago I was excited to watch the Denver Nuggets in game 6 of their NBA Playoffs series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I was hoping to see the Nuggets play like the defending champions they are/were and it was the first time I was able to watch one of their playoff games. Well, that hope was not to be. The Nuggets got absolutely crushed by the Timberwolves (and then they blew a 20 pt lead in game 7 - sigh). I was annoyed at first but slowly shifted into being amused at how badly the game was going. But at one point Scout scooted over a bit closer to me and literally reached her leg out and put her paw on my arm like this. I have no idea if there was intentionality in her action but I know that when a human does that to someone who is annoyed, frustrated, hurting, etc, it is a sign of connection, empathy, and presence.
Animals in our lives can be truly amazing in how they pick up on our signals and respond accordingly. Everyone in our family has seen Scout do these kinds of things time and again in the years she has been a part of our family. Like so many other animals, Scout was an amazing presence for each of us during Covid and in the years since. Maybe animals have a major advantage in that they can’t talk and try to explain things away or try to make it better with words. Instead they are just there, present, in that moment with the human they care for and who they know cares for them.
Have you had a special pet in your life? How did they embody something like this for you?
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed
McKibben Dana, MaryAnn. Hope: A User's Manual (p. 31). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
Not so long ago, Scout licked my ankle that is full of severe arthritis. I was surprised by that, but I think she was telling me that she recognizes pain. Good girl.
That’s a special pup you have…