Posted on by Debbie

Somewhere over the rainbow for #lifethisweek

Optimism

I’m fairly sure I’m an optimistic person, at least I like to think I am!

I will always take my sunglasses when going out, even if it’s raining – does that count as being optimistic or just hopeful?

Bike sun glasses
Bike sunglasses

Optimism: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.

Source

A few random thoughts on optimism from my week, ramblings perhaps you could say!

Rain

We’ve had some wet wintry days lately, so I’ve used the inside days to read, update some posts, plan some things and when the rain stopped I would go for a walk in the forest. I’m always optimistic that the rain will stop eventually and allow a bike ride or a walk outside.

A slippery fall

Just the other day, I was heading outside to sit in my sunroom, (recently featured in this post), and slipped over on a wet piece of timber. I was literally swept off my feet!

I suddenly found myself lying on the ground wondering if I had broken anything – you know, old people and brittle bones?? I was optimistic that no major damage had been done.

I made myself lie there for a few minutes, doing a quick scan of my body. I had fallen on my right leg, using my forearm and hand to try to break my fall, so the right side of my body was a bit sore. After moving my fingers, wrist and arm slowly, I pushed myself up off the ground to see if I was OK to to stand up and walk around. I was!

My hand was very sore so after a few minutes of finding my balance and walking around, I went inside for an ice pack. The Mathematician was out in the paddock and didn’t return for some time, which thankfully worked out OK – goodness knows what I would have done if I’d been unable to move for some reason. Thinking of the ‘what ifs’ isn’t very optimistic or helpful!

Rainbows

I suddenly noticed the light had changed outside and saw the most amazing rainbows – yes a double rainbow right in front of our house. How can you not smile and feel optimistic with such beauty? I know I featured these rainbows in my #SundayStills post yesterday but I’ll share them again here, as they were very special.

  • rainbow from the verandah
    rainbow from the verandah
  • double rainbow
    double rainbow

Rainbows are full of optimism and hope. I love them and can’t resist taking a photo or two!

rainbow after the storm
rainbow on Sunday morning
rainbows
Double rainbow in a stormy sky

COVID 19

I know it’s been going on for a long time now, and I do get a bit down due to many issues related to the pandemic, but I’m also optimistic that we will get out of this sometime soon. I refuse to allow myself to think the worst and I have to believe that one day soon I will be able to travel overseas again to see my daughter and granddaughter in England. That we will all do the right thing and the world will return to some form of new normality. Now that’s optimism for you!

There’s a lot going on in the world and it seems many people have their own ideas on how things should be done. It has created fear and distrust and that isn’t helping anyone.

Hopepunk

Have you heard of hopepunk?

I listened to a podcast ages ago, which discussed hopepunk and grimdark, and in these strange days we’re living in, it made some sense to me. I thought of it when writing this post on optimism and decided to mention it briefly.

an approach to storytelling that focus on humanity’s positive qualities and the importance of hope

Source

According to Aja Roman at Vox, hopepunk was coined by a writer named Alexandra Rowland in 2017, intended as a counterpoint to grimdark, an existing term for a speculative genre that utilizes bleakly dystopian themes of violence, amorality, and despair.

…hopepunk, which finds its narrative motivation in the idea of optimism—embodied in acts of love, kindness, and respect for one another—as resistance. Source

There’s also a hopepunk book shelf in Goodreads. “Depending on who you ask, hopepunk is as much a mood and a spirit as a definable literary movement, a narrative message of ‘keep fighting, no matter what.’ If that seems too broad—after all, aren’t all fictional characters fighting for something?—then consider the concept of hope itself, with all the implications of love, kindness, and faith in humanity it encompasses.” — Aja Romano, “In the era of Trump and apocalyptic change, Hopepunk is weaponizing optimism”

Photo by Yelena Odintsova on Pexels.com

Is there a difference between being optimistic and being hopeful?

Great question! I did a search on that very question and this answer clarified it for me.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, hope is “something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future,” and optimism is “the quality of being full of hope and emphasizing the good parts of a situation, or a belief that something good will happen.”

How about you?

What does optimism mean to you? Have you heard of hopepunk before? I love reading dystopian stories but usually for the optimism and wanting the best outcome possible.

I’ve enjoyed sharing a few rambling thoughts on optimism and would love to hear your thoughts too. I do try to be optimistic in my view of the world, although it’s not always easy.

Feel free to click on Denyse’s link up and see what others have shared and maybe join in!

Thanks for your visit, you’re always welcome in my world.

Deb xx

This week’s prompt for Denyse’s #lifethisweek is Optimism

Recent posts you may have missed:

You can also find Deb’s World in lots of other places – stay in touch by clicking any of the buttons below.

Everyone has a story to tell!

Debbie - mother of a 40 year old

Deb is a young-at-heart & active 60+ blogger/retiree, after being made redundant from her 22-year career managing education programs in a men’s correctional centre (jail). She now spends her time reading, blogging, riding her ebike and travelling. Deb was awarded a Bravery Award from the Queen when she was 17 after a tragic accident – a definite life changing moment! She is married with 3 grown-up daughters & has 4 grandchildren. You can read more of Deb’s story here

Copyright © 2021 debs-world.com – All rights reserved

44 Replies to “Somewhere over the rainbow for #lifethisweek”

  1. I enjoying going down this rabbit hole about optimism with you. I must admit, I’d never heard of hopepunk before! Thanks for introducing me to something new. I think I have always been someone who has veered on the cynical/pessimistic side since I was a kid and so for me, optimism is something I’ve really had to work on. Embracing gratitude has helped a lot with that but I still have very healthy levels of cynicism! Given the current covid situation for instance, I am not at all optimistic that our federal government will do the right thing and I am equally pessimistic that they will get voted back in next year despite their colossal failure across the board. Maybe that’s not pessimism though; maybe that’s just me being realistic. Hope you have a lovely week ahead Debbie!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much Sanch and another one who hasn’t heard of hopepunk! I’m so pleased to be introducing it to readers. Thanks too for sharing your thoughts and gratitude is an important part of life to me. I hear you on the federal government situation!!

      Like

      Reply

  3. I think it’s time to add to your blog descriptor : Rainbows, Hope and Optimism Found Here…You Just Need To Know Where To Look!

    As for the fall. They are awful. The little bit of whoops then landing. The worst one I did was back in 2003 and in our slopey driveaway when I got out of the car, and it was a bit wet, one foot went one way and I followed it down the drive, stopping near our letterbox. B was inside..no idea. Couldn’t hear me call anyway. I struggled up the drive, the steps into the house, “waited” for him to have a cuppa ( I am a dill!) and then got him to take me to local GP because it was close. We should have gone straight to our local private hospital as it had emergency. Broken ankle, admitted to hospital, surgery next day, 2 plates and screws, and it was pretty awful but I got over it. Guess where that broken (repaired) fibula is now…yes, my jaw!! Unreal. Thank you for sharing your post for #LifeThisWeek at Denyse Whelan Blogs. It’s been great to see you here and thanks so much for your contribution to the community of bloggers who link up from Mondays to Wednesdays (Australian Eastern Time). Next Monday the optional prompt is Taking Stock. And we are past half way for my 2021 Blogging Year! Denyse.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. That’s a fabulous addition Denyse, many thanks for suggesting it to me! You make me smile 🙂
      But your fall sounds so nasty and painful but ultimately useful too – luckily I think I bounced and didn’t snap anything!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. Spent about 10 minutes perusing the Goodreads hopepunk shelves. Have only read one book from that genre, at least as far I managed to see. Could spend hours considering books!! Thank you for introducing us to that term and that literary genre.

    I would definitely say you are optimistic. I think I can be optimistic for somethings but in general, I am a realist. Have seen enough crazy in my life to expect the craziest possibility to become reality.

    Love the rainbow photos. Your captures are so clear. I am always disappointed when I try to photograph the moon and rainbows. But you have inspired me to try again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It’s surprised me that many people hadn’t heard of hopepunk and I’m so pleased to be able to introduce them to the term. It’s good to learn new things! The rainbow photos were mainly taken with my phone and I’m thrilled with them too. Thanks for your lovely comment.

      Like

      Reply

  7. This wAs an interesting read Deb. I’ve never heard of hope punk but I think I’m now a fan. I’m fairly sure that I’m mostly optimistic and feel that only optimism has enabled me to get through my bad times. Your rainbows are gorgeous

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Jen, hopepunk rings true for me at the moment, we need more of it! I do love rainbows, especially when they’re right outside my front door like that!

      Like

      Reply

  8. Those rainbows are spectacular. I know too well that feeling of “am I ok” after a fall. Glad you are ok. I am a glass half full person for sure and focus on the positives (my dad and mom were incredibly pessimistic and it influenced me!) So not sure but I’m thinking I am both hopeful and optimistic!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. One cold and wintry Minnesota evening I couldn’t get my little car up the very short, steep and slippery driveway that led to my garage. I had broken my wrist a few weeks earlier, so when my car slid back into the alley, I got out and tried to be careful as I walked to the back of the car to look at the wheels. Of course the alley was slippery, too–and my balance not that great–so when I fell flat on my back and realized I hadn’t hurt myself, I couldn’t stop laughing at the picture I was imagining of a middle-aged woman lying on her back at the end of the alley, with one arm sticking straight up in the air. Was that optimism? (I have no recollection of how I got myself out of the alley!)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh no Jenney, I’m so glad you were able to laugh about this, it sounds dreadful!! Thanks for sharing your story, it’s also hilarious as well as being awful!

      Like

      Reply

  11. Oh gosh, pleased you’re ok after your fall and that you’re healing nicely. Those rainbows are just spectacular and you’ve captured them so well. I’d never heard of hopepunk before so just goes to show, you really can learn something new every day. Having just made a return trip to the UK, I hope that one day it will be easier to travel that it is now and that we can do so without hotel quarantine but to be honest, it’s hard to imagine the way the world (and particularly Australia) is now. Still, a little bit of cautious optimism never hurt anyone, did it?! Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Sammie, I’ve been thinking of you lately and hope all is going well for you. Glad to hear you’re feeling cautiously optimistic considering all you’ve been through in the past few months.

      Like

      Reply

  12. Glad you’re OK after that fall – I broke a bone in my elbow when I put out my arm while falling a couple of years ago. Take care!

    I’ve never heard of hopepunk but I like the idea that we need positive narratives to balance the dystopian. As to optimism, I try to stay optimistic that we’ll get out of this Covid mess soon but I find myself swithering between that and pessimism on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’m being extra careful thanks Sarah! I’m happy I could introduce you to the term hopepunk. I totally understand the swithering between feelings these days, it’s so hard.

      Like

      Reply

  13. So glad you didn’t hurt yourself too badly, Deb. I’m feeling totally fed up with Covid at the moment – every time I try to go anywhere it goes into lockdown. However, I try to stay optimistic. Toni x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Hi Deb, I like your definitions because they remind me that there is hope – I’m optimistic that the pandemic will end some time, which gives me hope in the future. I think it’s good to be cautiously optimistic because things can change so quickly. My in-laws planned a huge trip to the NT and WA and now they’re in a panic because of the emerging situation with new cases happening all over the place. Rather than lose all their money they’re flying to Darwin a week early, which is costing them a fortune. I just wouldn’t book a holiday in the first place! If that makes me a pessimist so be it. I prefer to think of it as being practical! Have a great week, Christina

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Christina, you’re so right we need hope for the future, it’s so weird at the moment with things going the way they are. You’d be in a lockdown now for a few days too. Planning a big trip would be almost impossible given the circumstances, I hope your in-laws enjoy their time away.

      Like

      Reply

  15. I’m glad that you are okay after your fall Deb, but monitor that hand for sure. I think I am a pretty optimistic person. To me that means looking on the bright side, trying to find the good things in life and not dwell on things that would bring me down. I try to wake up every morning with the hope and belief that it is going to be a good day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Hi Deb, love your rainbow photos and I’m glad you were ok after your fall! Optimism to me is to look at the bright side of things, always have hope and find the good or lessons in difficult situations or times. We all need to find some optimism during these crazy Covid days I think though it’s not always easy. Hope you have a great week!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks Min, I’m with you, looking on the bright side of things never hurts. We continually learn from our mistakes! Yes to needing optimism during theses strange times.

      Like

      Reply

  18. That double rainbow shot with the pink sky is magnificient. Thank you for introducing me to the term Hopepunk. I love it. Having lost my writing mojo, you’ve inspired me to write a Hopepunk story for this Lockdown…feeling instantly excited at the exercise!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Hi Deb love the rainbows as they always make me feel hopeful. I’ve not heard of hopepunk before so I might take a look on Goodreads. Optimism to me is a feeling of positivity and yes, hope. It is taking the glass half full approach rather than always defaulting to the negative. Thanks for a lovely optimistic start to my week! #lifethisweek

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Sue, hopepunk is an interesting concept and I’m happy to share it with others. You are always optimistic in my opinion and an inspiration. x

      Like

      Reply

Let's keep the conversation going...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Blog at WordPress.com.