Since the time of recorded history there have been life lessons presented that can be generalized to all areas of your life. The media, all forms, serves as the communications director and lead teacher in dispersing the most important lessons. You may believe that you have nothing to learn from popular culture and I would say you’re very wrong. Popular culture is the ultimate lesson planner of our day. It punctuates the themes the collective unconscious is screaming about. It shouldn’t be a surprise that hope is one of those issues.
When the movie “Cool Running” came out in 1993 everyone found it “cute”. The idea that Jamaica could have a bobsled team was amusing and puzzling all at the same time. What would make a group of Jamaicans think that they could not only take up the sport of bobsledding but believe in their hearts that they could have a chance at winning a medal at the Olympics. Some may call it delusional, but if you look deeper what you see is that the winning didn’t have to wait for the Olympics; it happened the day they put their heart and soul into forming the team and beginning their practice.
These courageous athletes had a vision for what they wanted to accomplish and set out to achieve that goal. So where does that leave us on the pop culture question? What lesson can you learn from this group of individuals? You can rest assured that the key lesson is hope. The hope is in the realm of what’s possible and when facing a health challenge can you think of anything more important than hope? You can reduce it down to the smallest common denominator and focus on the art of possibility. Every time you believe that health and healing is possible you mobilize your physical, emotional, and spiritual forces to rev their engines.
Hope is a key component on your journey to wellness. The moment you let down your defenses with doubt you give negative energy a doorway to walk through and that’s not beneficial to your health. The next time you’re exhausted and possibly feeling defeated; think of those Jamaicans who had a vision. Cut out pictures of a bobsled and superimpose it on a picture of a beach and reap the rewards of hope.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 