A Joke I Grew Up With — And What It Taught Me About Hope

“Cheer up,” they said. “Things could be worse.”
So I cheered up.
Sure enough… things got worse.

Does that sound at all like life in today’s world?

Do you sometimes find yourself fearing what might happen next — and expecting it to be worse than ever?

Many of us could probably say yes to that lately.
And who could blame us? The news can feel unsettling — even radical.

So how do we rise above despair and find hope?

I was a child of the Great Depression, and I grew up hearing jokes like that one. Humor was one way people coped with hard times. But somewhere along the way I internalized a message: expect the worst.

That quiet negativity became an unconscious rule in my life.
And like many rules we carry without noticing, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sure enough… things got worse.

But as I grew older, I began to notice something remarkable.

Thoughts are creative.

For example, when you start thinking about a certain kind of car, suddenly you see that car everywhere. It was always there — but now you notice it.

Somewhere along the road (pun intended), I began to believe that the best was still ahead of me.

And you know what?
It was.

Life didn’t always look like I expected or thought I wanted. But goodness kept appearing — and I learned to be grateful for it.

Today when people ask me how I reached 87 and feel like I’m enjoying my best life, I give them a simple answer:

Optimism and gratitude.

Would you like to try a small experiment?

For the next three days, take a few quiet minutes and think about three things you are grateful for in that moment.

Say the words to yourself:

“I am grateful for ______.”

Then notice what happens.

If you like, drop me a text at 719-438-7117 and tell me what you discovered.

Have faith.

Goodness is here for you.
Are you here for it?

— Joseph