Truth Diaries: Hope Always Finds Its Way

Threads of Hope: The unravelling threads of life that breathe truth and heart

May 10, 2026

Truth Diaries: Hope Always Finds Its Way
Date & Time: Wednesday 15th April 2026, 1:35pm
Location: In the grey North of England
Mood: Hopeful

Hope always finds its way. I’ve been going through a pretty rough phase in my life, and now I’m starting to feel hopeful again. After months of dealing with chronic pain, I’m starting to move towards that tiny light at the end of a dark tunnel. There are moments when we are deep in pain, loss, grief, uncertainty, and doubt that we can’t always grip on to hope as easily as we have been able to do before. There are threads of hope in each of our lives, ones that lead us to certain people, places and experiences that remind us of the magic of being alive and ones that bring us love, happiness and fulfilment.

A few weeks ago, I was on my way to a hospital appointment when I found this little path leading to an unknown park. As I strolled through the trees, I let the Spring breeze guide me, and I found a beautiful little waterfall. For that moment, I felt peace for the first time in weeks. I had been so consumed by grey that I had blocked out the colour in my life. No matter how heavy things might seem, the only true way back to yourself, I have learnt, is gratitude. Being present, getting back into nature, noticing the quiet magic in the everyday mundane things, this is how we find our way to our spark again.

In the last few seasons, there have been a lot of blank pages, moments of frustration, an aching for inspiration and a longing to feel the passion, ambition and drive I once had. But maybe this is growth. I might not understand it yet, but maybe this pivotal and liminal space that I have been occupying is the perfect soil for a new me to bloom. The in-between is something that I’ve always struggled with, and I do get restless when I don’t have a plan, I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing. I have been giving the universe the reins of my life for a while now, and in the short term, this is a great way to feel grounded, but in the long term, it can leave you feeling more stuck and less satisfied. I’ve lost contact with my heart, my creativity and my intuition. I don’t have all the answers as to why I've struggled more over the last year and a half to complete things than in previous years. My notes app is filled with unfinished poems, stories and songs. I have so many ideas, but I have no compass. I am stretching myself thin in all directions, and I don’t know how to find my true north as a creative person. But there is hope. I am still creating. I am still typing these words, I am still editing my next book (no matter how slowly), and I am still tuned in to the higher power that whispers these ideas to me. The pace has changed, yes, but the reason for creation hasn’t.

I have been very loss-focused lately, but it’s also important for me to remember just how much I gain in these darker phases of my life. The deep introspection, the work, the growth, the self-love and the strength, all of these things are beautiful additions to my character and parts of my story that will fuel my creativity when the timing is right. I did my third Holding Space workshop a few weeks ago: Holding Space for Loss. It was such a beautiful and intimate gathering of creatives, and we explored the theme of loss beyond its stereotype. We often think of loss as losing a person to death or someone who was in our life and isn’t anymore, and as much as these losses are difficult to navigate, there are so many other types of loss that we encounter throughout this life that never get recognised. Some examples are loss of identity, loss of dreams, loss of friendships, loss of innocence, and loss of your inner spark.

February and March were really tough months, but when April started, and the sun cracked through the persistent grey, I decided that enough was enough. If I was going to ever get through the storm and find some sense of calm again, I would have to create it myself. Bad things happen all of the time, and we don’t always have a choice about these things. But what we can choose is how we react to them. On the morning of the 1st of April, I sat down, closed my eyes and did a short meditation. I can’t remember the last time I did that. I have always found it difficult to quieten my mind; I can thank my ADHD for that. But I sat there and told myself that things would get better. It might not be immediate, but there is always light after dark periods in your life, no matter how brief, terrible or difficult a phase is, it has to end at some point.

I found my way back to the mat recently as well. Yoga has always been a safe space for me, somewhere that I go to during or after tough times. There is no judgment or expectation on the mat. The world goes quiet, I focus on my breath and the way my body feels, and that is all. I think everyone should try yoga at least once. It’s not about how you look or how to contort your body into pretzel shapes. It’s about connecting with the earth and with yourself.

I have also been looking for whimsy and ways to have fun, even in these times where my health hasn’t been great. I’ve found moments to go out into the sunshine with my partner and for us to have a little craft afternoon over the Easter weekend, making little clay animals. Life can be so serious at times, it’s important to find ways to nurture your inner child and find the magic in seeing blossom on the trees or remembering what you loved as a child and not being ashamed to still find the joy in it. I also went to an Anime & Gaming convention with my partner recently, which was another lovely and fun experience.

There have been a lot of doctor’s appointments and hospital visits, and I don’t know if my phase of chronic pain is over yet. But I’m going to sit in the park where I live and breathe in the pure Spring air, I’m going to fill my heart with gratitude for the things I have and the people that are in my life. Everything is temporary. It can all change at any moment. So for now, I’m just going to take everything day by day and hope that the sun stays out for a little bit longer and a little bit longer, until I finally feel like myself again.

EJ’s Threads of Wisdom

Hope always finds its way.

The wisdom you gain from the darker phases of your life is valuable.

Bad things happen all of the time, it’s how we react to them that matters.

EJ’s Threads of Verse

Sweet Nectar
It’s temporary — all of it — flowers bloom and wither — some seasons turn like milk — and others are potent with a sweet nectar it lingers on the tongue — there are moments that will pull you to the earth to taste the soil — and phases where you will flutter above the ground with the beauty and elgance of a butterfly — this life is movement — we are energy in motion — and part of a great divine — it’s temporary — all of it — so take in every drop of honey and salt — and drink until you cannot drink anymore.

EJ’s Threads of Hope Prompts

All dark times must end.

Hope is inevitable.

This is my safe space.

If you use any of these prompts to produce a piece of creative writing or essay, tag Threads Of Hope and thank EJ (I’d love to read them!)

EJ’s Recommendations

Do you have any writers, poets or poems you'd recommend I add to my reading and to my next newsletter?

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