Charles Gupton

Charles Gupton

Not Without Hope – Bob McCarthy

I met Bob a few years ago at the YMCA and started getting to know him better during brief exchanges while we were working out. I was always impressed by his positive outlook during each encounter. Since I am usually interested in the disciplines that writers apply to their work, I always enjoyed asking Bob about how his novel was unfolding. I was most impressed by the daily commitment that he made to move the process forward. It’s that commitment to continue with our objectives in the face of apathy that we all can benefit from making. Whether it’s writing a novel or looking for a new job, the daily steps we take are most important.

What do you think? How are you moving ahead with the apathy you encounter?

Charles

http://www.charlesguptonphoto.com
On Twitter @ http://twitter.com/CharlesGupton

Bob McCarthy
Bob McCarthy


As a novelist, my hope is tied to a belief that through a pursuit of excellence, I can achieve successful publication of my work. So far, all I’ve received are rejection slips or worse, no response at all! At times, I’m uncertain as to where to turn or what the next step is. But every day I continue to write, believing that consistent attention to my craft and constantly producing new material will, in time, lead to publication.

When I retired as a clinical psychologist, I dedicated myself to a second career as a writer. I’d already been writing for 35 years; I didn’t wait until the day after to begin. With this new direction, however, I went from a settled life into a wilderness of sorts, often feeling lost. I’m attempting to develop new skills – mastering the computer, learning to distinguish trustworthy criticism, developing a professional and social network – while continuing to write. To pursue this goal in my mid-60’s added a dimension of doubt relative to limited time – not just time left but time left with a mind intact enough to write well.

Hope is more than a wish, more than a feeling disconnected from effort. I view hope as moored in part to a belief in self, in part to a faith in the world. The view grants me a sense of honesty in the way I hope as opposed to a gambling desperation.

Hope is not passive. It’s not something I wait for like the arrival of sleep. It is entwined with an active pursuit of my goal when there is no guarantee of achieving it.

My challenge is to treat hope well, to be ready to let it in when it offers itself like light through blinds, not wasting my time begging it to come to me. I have to fight vigorously at times to keep hope at my side. At other times, I have to understand that I am on my own, pursuing my goal in somber tints, trusting that hope will return. I have to set my “dials” daily on remaining hopeful so that I’m open to hope when it honors me with another visit. Present or not, hope is an option, on occasion a choice overlooked. The choosing to be hopeful keeps me prepared to do whatever I can to sustain the journey.

My hope moves in wave-like motions, my confidence, at times, a function of the waves. Nonetheless, the commitment is for the duration. Success or not, I will continue to write. That is my hope. ~ Bob McCarthy

Not Without Hope – Nancy Stolfo-Corti

I met Nancy over a dinner shared by a group of disparate but like-minded folks. Everyone was an entrepreneur and an idea-driven individual. Although an introvert by nature, Nancy does not let her need for quiet reflection and thinking keep her from serving and caring for numerous people around her. She has a passion for nourishing people, not just through food but also by listening and showing compassion. We’ve met for coffee and lunch on a couple of occasions and each time my spirit is filled with joy and delight.

Charles

http://www.charlesguptonphoto.com
On Twitter @ http://twitter.com/CharlesGupton

Nancy Stolfo-Corti in her kitchen
Nancy Stolfo-Corti in her kitchen

If we waited for the perfect time to have children, to get married or to buy a house, there would be very few homes and/or children created. In times of crisis, you must take what you have and move forward- there is never going to be a better time to do anything- so why should difficult times be any different? Take inventory of what is right in your world and use that to carry you through. In the words of Winston Churchill, “If you are going through Hell, just keep going.” I have.

Living most of my adult life in Tuscany, I learned a valuable lesson- the less people had the more they were willing to give. Of all the locals that I met while living there, the most noble of beings were the country folk that gave generously of their larders and their knowledge. They brought me fresh cheeses, eggs and tomatoes for my small children. They showed me how to find edible wild greens in the fields, and mushrooms, asparagus and berries in the woods. They taught me about dried beans and grains and how to make my own bread with just flour, water and a small piece of old dough as a starter. They taught me that the richness I had was in my parents who taught me to be imaginative and generous. The generosity of these people was not in what they gave as much as what they taught me and how they made me feel.

I have never been hungry and have always been able to make a feast even when I was unemployed and down on my luck. One year, when I was particularly homesick and wanted a jack-o-lantern for Halloween, my husband made me feel guilty about the expense – pumpkins in Italy, in the fall, can run over $100 apiece – because it was something he didn’t think we needed. I got my jack-o-lantern but also used the flesh to create pies, ravioli, lasagna, velvety soups, breads and jams. Better yet, I was able to share my feasts with friends, family and perfect strangers who were struggling even more than we were.

With kindness and creativity, we can make the dreariest of times magical.

When people dwell on the negative aspects of life they seem to multiply. I know people who complain that their life is ‘crap’. My suggestion is to take their bag of ‘manure’ and find a garden to fertilize. There’s always something you can do, no matter how small – give your time to help a neighbor, write letters to or for an elderly person, bring someone flowers, or commit any act of kindness. You have the ability to make your world right. And, when you have righted your world, the rest of the world will follow. You can always have hope. ~ Nancy Stolfo-Corti

Not Without Hope – Anora McGaha

I met Anora through the process of getting word out about this series. She responded with great ideas about finding people with positive stories to tell. Not only did I discover that Anora is connected with an amazing number of great thinkers and innovators but she also had a great story to tell as well. From my observation, she finds great hope in helping people find connections with each other as well as her assistance in leading them to understand many of the ins and outs of doing business in the social media environment. Every person I’ve met who knows her claims their life is better because of her friendship.

Charles

http://www.charlesguptonphoto.com
On Twitter @ http://twitter.com/CharlesGupton

Anora McGaha
Anora McGaha


I live in the Triangle and have seen a lot of changes in my work life.

Reorganizations in the company where I worked changed my job from project management to marketing. A lot to learn. A few years later I was laid off, so I began pursuing a career in massage therapy. More to learn. That felt like a real good fit, until one day I hurt my hands. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t do that work. While my hands healed I was lucky enough to get married to a wonderful man. We moved from his place and my place and landed in a new home together.

Exploring different options, I became very interested in writing in blogs, and that led me to explore social media, publicity and advertising. More to learn. I’m in business for myself offering writing services and internet publicity services. Always learning.

The way I stay hopeful is to continue to learn and continue to find ways to be helpful to others. ~ Anora McGaha

Reward Collaboration

“The best reward is not to give money but to show a new connection toward the future.” ~ Dr. Coltaire Rapaille ‘Seven Secrets of Marketing’

Not Without Hope – Sammy Gupton

This is the second in a series about people who are not without hope in the economic times we are all affected by, in one way or another. I met Sammy through a mutual business acquaintance, a real estate developer who had laid Sammy off because of poor sales in the housing market. Although we share a last name, we are not directly related – at least as far as we can reckon.

Charles

http://www.charlesguptonphoto.com
On Twitter @ http://twitter.com/CharlesGupton

Sammy and Jeannie with children Jesse, David and Brianna
Sammy and Jeannie with children Jesse, David and Brianna

It was hard at first to look back over my life and think about why I have hope. I think things began to change in my life when I started coaching my kids’ baseball team. Coaching those kids showed me what it was like to be in God’s hand with no worries. We went on to win a championship and those kids changed my life, because when I looked into their eyes, there was no worry. Seeing the joy in them was awesome.
I realized that I had forgotten what it meant to see life through the eyes of wonder that a kid has. I had lost my faith. I’ve done things in the past that I’m not proud of, but those kids helped me see that it is up to us whether we are happy or sad. In these tough times, it’s a blessing just to be able to pay the light bill or to have food in the refrigerator. If you just look around, you’ll see that you are really blessed with so many things that we all take for granted. Like in the morning, I can take my kids to school and then go by and see my mother. We drink coffee and talk about how powerful God’s love is. I try to talk about positive things so that she doesn’t look at what’s going on with her health. It makes me happy just to see a smile on her face and to be able to see the love in her eyes for me, her son. That’s what life is really about. Just like the Bible says, the riches of the world will surely fade away but God’s love endures forever.

I’ve been a carpenter for 14 years. My gift and what I love to do is finish carpentry. I love to build high-end work such as mantles, bookcases, stairways and other fine detail work. It’s my passion to see fine carpentry as an art and make people really happy with the work I do. Finding this kind of work is very hard when the economy is this tough. But I have hope because I love what I do and have a gift for doing it well. I know I’ll be able to find customers who really appreciate good work so that I can make a living for my family. ~ Sammy Gupton