0:00

When I started this podcast

0:02

five years ago, I never imagined

0:05

it would become what it is

0:07

today. It's a community. It's a

0:09

safe space. It's a place where

0:12

we all can breathe a

0:14

little easier. Your stories and

0:16

messages, they have shown me

0:18

that we're all looking for

0:20

the same thing, connection, and

0:23

a disconnected world. That's

0:25

why I'm super excited to

0:27

introduce, comment down. deeper.

0:29

It's not changing the podcast

0:32

that you know enough. It's

0:34

creating more space for us

0:36

to connect. There's going to

0:38

be morning affirmations, guided meditations.

0:41

There's already some Sunday reset

0:43

sessions. I'm calling the calm

0:45

the Sunday Scaries and early

0:48

access to ad-free episodes, all

0:50

for $5 a month. And

0:52

right now there's even a

0:54

20% off that. So if

0:57

you're curious... Head over to

0:59

comment down podcast.com for a

1:01

free trial. Now, let's get into

1:03

today's episode. Have you ever

1:06

tried to hold water in your

1:08

hands? I know, it's a silly

1:10

question, but like really, I mean,

1:13

have you trying to scoop

1:15

it up gently, cupping your palms

1:17

just right? And for a moment,

1:19

it's there. You've got it,

1:22

right? But then, drip by drip.

1:24

It slips through. It slips through.

1:26

your fingers. I mean, tell

1:28

me I'm not the only

1:30

one, right? But that's how

1:33

hope can feel sometimes.

1:35

Especially when life has

1:37

you backed into a

1:39

corner like it often

1:41

does. When the phone

1:43

rings and it's not

1:45

good news, when you get

1:47

that email or the silence,

1:49

when the weight of it

1:52

all feels too much. Hope

1:54

starts to feel like that,

1:56

that handful of water, just

1:59

elusive. like slipping away

2:01

just a drip at a

2:03

time but here's what

2:05

I've learned hope is

2:08

not about pretending everything's

2:10

fine it's not it's

2:13

not blind optimism it's

2:15

not slapping and smiling

2:18

and calling it a day

2:20

hope is quieter than

2:22

that and stronger it

2:25

doesn't shout hope whispers

2:27

hold on Doesn't

2:29

promise ease, but it

2:32

offers endurance. And today,

2:35

that's exactly what

2:37

we are going to

2:39

talk about. So, let's

2:41

find some hope. I'm

2:43

Chad Lawson, and let's come

2:46

it down in three,

2:48

two, one. Now, I want to

2:50

tell you a really

2:52

quick story. It's not

2:55

dramatic. So, if nothing

2:57

crazy. There's no heroic

2:59

twist or climatic ending.

3:02

Just a moment. A few

3:04

months ago I was driving

3:06

home after one of those like

3:08

really long days that feels like

3:11

three stacked on top of each

3:13

other. I know I'm not alone

3:15

in this, you know the kind.

3:18

Your inbox being completely over. full

3:20

right deadlines just like hanging over

3:22

you kids were quiet in the

3:25

back seats tired in that way

3:27

that only kids can be like

3:29

after doing absolutely nothing and everything

3:32

all at once you know the

3:34

feeling so I stopped at a red light

3:36

and something really caught my

3:39

eye a woman standing on the

3:41

corner not asking for money not

3:43

trying to get anywhere not

3:45

just just standing there and

3:48

she was holding the sign

3:50

and the sign said there

3:53

is still time for beautiful

3:55

things. That was it.

3:57

There is still time.

4:00

for beautiful things. And just

4:02

like that, hope, I'd step

4:04

back in, not in a

4:07

fireworks kind of way, but

4:09

more like a sigh that

4:11

you didn't know you'd been

4:13

holding and just really ready

4:15

to let go. Because hope

4:17

is real, but it's rebellious

4:19

like that. It doesn't deny

4:21

the pain. It just says

4:24

that the pain doesn't get

4:26

the final word. But let's

4:28

be honest. Like cultivating hope

4:30

and hard times, it's not

4:32

easy, right? It feels unnatural.

4:35

And sometimes it feels even

4:37

unfair. Like when life feels

4:39

like it's closing end, the

4:41

last thing we want to

4:44

do is be hopeful. We

4:46

want answers. We want solutions.

4:48

We want something to fix

4:50

whatever it is. And sometimes,

4:53

well, hope doesn't always fix

4:55

it. Sometimes it just sits

4:57

with us with us. And

4:59

sometimes, it's exactly what

5:01

we need. So I

5:04

want to offer three

5:06

thoughts today. Not solutions,

5:08

not life hacks, just

5:10

simple thoughts. Little anchors

5:12

to tether when wind

5:14

picks up. Number one,

5:16

hope does not erase the

5:18

bad times. It refrains them.

5:21

There's a phrase that

5:23

I love that says pain

5:25

is inevitable. But suffering,

5:27

that's optional. Now, hear

5:30

me out. I know,

5:32

I'm not saying pain

5:34

is invalid, right? Grief,

5:36

loss, stress, heartbreak, these

5:38

things, they are real.

5:41

They're heavy, and they

5:43

hurt. But hope changes

5:45

the lens. Doesn't pretend,

5:47

doesn't pretend that the

5:49

wound is not there.

5:51

It says, hmm, even

5:54

here, something good can grow.

5:56

I mean think of wildflowers. I

5:58

love wildflowers. Some of the most

6:00

beautiful ones they bloom in

6:02

places they shouldn't right

6:05

like through sidewalk cracks and

6:07

in dry soil and little

6:10

corners you would never expect

6:12

but they bloom anyway so

6:14

what if hope is like that

6:16

look for the wildflowers when

6:19

you see the cracks

6:21

they're there they're just

6:23

waiting to be seen number

6:25

two borrow hope when you don't

6:27

have any of your own. Have

6:30

you ever done this? There's this

6:32

idea that we carry, that hope

6:34

has to come from within, right?

6:37

That if we don't feel it,

6:39

it's gone. But sometimes hope

6:41

is a team effort. I

6:43

mean, there have been moments

6:45

in my life when I

6:47

didn't have it in me

6:49

to believe that I didn't

6:51

believe in myself, but someone

6:54

else did. My wife, my

6:56

mom, a friend, a stranger,

6:58

a song, a memory. It's

7:00

okay to lean on someone

7:02

else's belief in you. When yours

7:05

feels... wobbly. It's okay

7:07

to borrow hope. I mean,

7:09

gracious, that's why I started

7:12

this podcast. To be that

7:14

borrowed hope when you need

7:17

it the most. And here

7:19

we are. And I hear from

7:21

a lot of you. You

7:24

know what keeps me coming back

7:26

every week? It's you. It

7:28

is this community that we

7:30

have built together. That's why

7:32

I've created Comet Down deeper.

7:34

It's not about changing what

7:36

works. It's about creating

7:38

more moments of connection. Add

7:41

free episodes, early access,

7:43

guided meditations, and soon

7:45

morning affirmations. Head over

7:48

to Comet Down podcast.com and

7:50

look for Comet Down deeper. if

7:52

you want to join us in

7:55

a community to help deepen your

7:57

calm. Whether you join or not.

7:59

I'm just grateful

8:02

you're here. Thanks. Now,

8:04

back to it. Number

8:06

three, look for the

8:08

small lights. When the power

8:10

goes out, you don't wait

8:13

for the sun to rise.

8:15

No, you grab a flashlight.

8:17

You light a candle.

8:19

That's what we are

8:21

doing. When we search

8:23

for hope and hard

8:25

times, we're looking for the

8:28

flickers. Maybe it's the friend

8:30

who texted you when you

8:32

didn't feel like talking, right?

8:34

Or the dog that curled

8:36

up next to you. Love

8:38

my dog. The fact that

8:40

you made your bed today,

8:42

even though it took everything

8:44

in you to do it,

8:46

you did it. I mean,

8:49

these things, they count. These

8:51

are the small lights. And

8:53

guess what? Enough small lights.

8:55

They can make a constellation.

8:58

If you don't believe me,

9:00

go look at the night

9:02

sky when it's clear. I

9:04

mean, if that is not

9:07

evident enough of one single

9:09

light reflecting hope,

9:11

I don't know what is.

9:13

Now I know what some

9:15

of you might be thinking.

9:17

I hear you already. But

9:19

Chad, what if I don't

9:21

see any lights? What if

9:23

I feel completely alone in

9:25

this? I understand. That's why

9:28

I want you to say

9:30

something. Okay? I want you to

9:32

say this to yourself. I'm not

9:35

alone. Even when it feels

9:37

this way, even when the room

9:39

is dark, the phone calls

9:41

don't come in. The world

9:44

feels cold. You're not alone.

9:46

And believe it or not,

9:48

you don't need to figure

9:50

out everything today right now

9:53

this very moment. You don't

9:55

need... to fix your life

9:58

like this afternoon. All you

10:00

need to do is stay. One

10:02

more hour, one more breath,

10:05

one more step, and

10:07

just let that be

10:09

enough. Because hope is

10:11

sometimes in the waiting. Do

10:13

you hear that? Sometimes

10:15

it's in the waiting.

10:17

So if you wouldn't mind,

10:20

if you're in a safe

10:22

space, maybe close your eyes,

10:25

and just take a deep

10:27

breath in four, three, two,

10:30

two. One, and then a

10:32

gentle exhale, four, three, two,

10:34

one. Once more, breathe in

10:37

hope, four, three, two, one,

10:39

exhale, four, three, two, one.

10:42

Now, I want you to

10:44

picture someone that

10:46

makes you feel safe

10:48

while you're doing this.

10:51

Could be a person, could

10:53

be a place, or a

10:55

memory, but let that anchor

10:58

you. Now I want you

11:00

to whisper to yourself even

11:02

if it feels silly there

11:04

is still time for

11:06

beautiful things. There is

11:09

still time for beautiful

11:11

things. Maybe today hope

11:13

looks like just making

11:15

your bed. Maybe it's

11:17

sending a message to

11:19

someone that you miss.

11:21

Maybe it's going outside

11:23

for five minutes of

11:25

sunlight or the constellations.

11:27

It's not about change

11:29

in the world. It's

11:31

about changing how you

11:33

see the world and

11:35

that starts with tiny

11:37

doable steps. So before

11:39

we end, I want to

11:42

leave you with this. Hope

11:44

is not a luxury. It's

11:46

a lifeline. It won't

11:48

solve everything, but it

11:50

will sustain you. And

11:52

if all you do

11:54

today was listen to

11:56

this episode, That is

11:59

enough. Because

12:01

choosing hope, even in

12:03

the smallest way, it

12:05

is a quiet act

12:07

of courage. And you,

12:10

my friend, are braver than

12:12

you know. So keep reaching

12:14

for those small lights.

12:17

Keep borrowing hope when

12:19

you need it. And

12:21

I want you to remember,

12:24

there is still time

12:27

for beautiful things.

12:29

Always. Thank

12:32

you. Thank you for listening.

12:34

Thank you for living. And

12:36

until next time, be kind

12:39

to your mind. Join me

12:41

again as we comment down.

12:43

Hey, so before you go,

12:45

I want to thank you for

12:47

being a part of this

12:50

journey with me. With comment

12:52

down deeper, we're creating even

12:54

more ways to find peace

12:56

together. With morning affirmations. guided

12:59

meditations, breathwork tutorials, ask me

13:01

any things, and even ad-free

13:04

episodes. So you want to

13:06

have to hear ads like

13:08

this one. So if you

13:11

want to deepen your calm,

13:13

head over to comet down

13:15

podcast.com and look for comet

13:18

down deeper. I hope you'll join

13:20

us in this beautiful community

13:23

that we are creating to help

13:25

deepen our calm and grow together.

13:27

Either way, thank you for being

13:29

here. Take care. And until

13:31

next time, be kind to your

13:34

mind. Define more episodes of

13:36

Comet Down. See where I

13:38

may be appearing in your

13:40

area, or to simply want

13:43

to know where to send

13:45

me some chocolate chip cookies.

13:47

Visit Comet Down podcast.com. This

13:49

podcast was written and

13:51

produced by yours truly,

13:54

Chad Lawson. Composer, pianist,

13:56

and nationally recognized, Sweet

13:59

Toothuth. and techniques in

14:01

this episode are of my

14:03

personal opinion and not intended,

14:05

nor should they, serve as

14:08

a substitute for medical advice

14:10

or diagnosis rendered to you

14:12

by your individual doctor or

14:14

other health care provider. Only

14:16

a licensed physician should evaluate

14:19

your situation, provide a diagnosis

14:21

or render other medical advice

14:23

to you, and you should

14:25

only act upon the advice

14:27

of this physician. Now, I'm an

14:30

extreme impath by nature, but my

14:32

profession is that of

14:34

a composer and pianist, not

14:36

a licensed therapist or physician.

14:38

I hear from thousands of listeners

14:40

how my music has helped

14:42

them through various stages of

14:44

emotional needs, and I simply want

14:46

to offer this in future podcast

14:49

episodes to aid those needs. So

14:51

to find a list of licensed professionals

14:53

in your area, please visit

14:56

comment down podcast.com. And

14:58

if you've enjoyed today's episode,

15:00

please leave a review, or

15:02

better yet, share it with

15:04

your friend. While it takes

15:06

less than 60 seconds to

15:08

do, its impact will last

15:10

for years to come, as

15:12

every little bit helps in

15:14

growing the awareness and the

15:16

importance of mental and emotional

15:18

health. Thank you for listening.

15:20

Thank you for living. And

15:22

until next time, be kind to

15:25

your mind. Enjoy me. Enjoy me.

15:27

Enjoy me. as we calm

15:29

it down.