A recent generative writing session began with this warmup: Name three things that bring hope — three things that make you hopeful.
I sat with that for a moment. What would you choose?
Would your answers be literal — things you can hold or touch?
Your mom’s garden, the trees that shade your yard, or a seedling leaning toward the sun in your kitchen window?
An unexpected letter from a friend, or an acceptance from an agency, a college, or a publisher?
A newborn? Your pet? Something alive and grounding you to the present moment?
Or do the things that bring you hope live in the abstract?
Goals.
Resilience.
Love.
I chose the abstract.
I appreciate this prompt because even as we face and take stands against the darkness of our days, staying mindful of what gives us hope is its own form of resistance. It’s a way of saying: I see what’s broken, and I still choose to look toward what grows.
This is what I wrote.
Words
Words have the power to divide, but they also have the power to connect,
to open doors,
to turn on lights,
to heal,
to help those who can’t find their words find their voice.
Connections
Oh, you and you,
And you too!
Me, too.
We can connect
to build the bridges,
carry the light,
and feed the hunger for justice.
Time
Time tells.
Time is indifferent.
But the indifference of time
gives our connections strength,
our words soil to germinate,
so that with time, we become
and find our belonging.
What are three things that bring hope to you?
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2025
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