Hope is an interesting thing. It often lingers longer than logic can explain, and can hold more power than fear, doubt, or in the case of this photo, even hunger. I was enjoying my evening in Colorado, flipping some burgers on the grill and taking in the scenery when this fox slipped its way into the area out back of where I was staying. Viewing the animal in person I could see it hadn’t had a good meal in a while. Its beautiful red coat covered a rough skinny body and I’m certain the smell of food is what drew it in so close. I don’t bait wildlife, and so just let the fox do as it pleased while still grabbing my camera and sneaking a few shots. This small creature was clearly down on her luck but her hopefulness for finding her next meal remained strong in her actions and her eyes. Seeing the way this fox truly believed in its ability to scrounge up another meal served as a reminder of the importance of having hope throughout life’s challenges. Hope can come in many forms. It can be the stubborn try again attitude of famous inventors who never let a failed experiment stop their attempts. It can be the thing we take away from hard times we have overcome before. Hope can be built into us by the community that surrounds us during life’s dark moments and believes in a better time for us when we feel too weak to continue. It doesn’t matter if we are fox or human, we all have times where things aren’t going the way we need or want them to. We aren’t thriving and it shows. The ability to remain hopeful despite the setbacks of the current moment, is often the difference between a success story, and one that ends in disaster. Whenever anyone looks up to this fox, it will be a reminder of the beauty and power contained in something as simple as hope, even when it seems all hope should be lost.