Twelve years ago, I was in a dark place. One night I dreamed about the Dalai Lama. He asked me what I thought he represented. I answered with the usual: Love; peace. He looked at me with his eyes twinkling: “…and hope,” was all he said.

The thought that I might be allowed hope was completely foreign to me then, but from that day on, I was open to the possibility.

Those dark times are far behind me now, and I live a thankfully complacent life. I know now there is always hope. Even in the midst of failure, as his holiness said at the Environmental Summit in Portland yesterday, we can begin something different. Not everything is possible, but concurrently, not everything is doomed to failure either. Live compassionately with respect for all life. Embrace unity as well as diversity. Be the best person I can be.

After twelve years of waiting, I was privileged yesterday to hear his holiness speak.