Krista Tippett: You are not called to hold a hard-edged superpower of hope, or any of the great virtues, on your own. We surround ourselves with others for the days when hope is too much to carry, too much for us to ask of ourselves, and we walk alongside others when it is too much to ask of them.

I love that notion of accompaniment. It has deep spiritual roots in Jesuit tradition. It’s also about the quality of that walking alongside. As you let this session settle in you, ponder the relationships where you give and receive accompaniment. This is something distinct from friendship or love or collaboration, though not necessarily separate from those things.

Think about who has accompanied you in rising to your best self. The truth is, we don’t make that mysterious move, as Naomi Shihab Nye said, that “mysterious move of rising to our best selves” — we don’t do that alone. We don’t do it without others. Consider these words of Jacqueline Novogratz: “This is the secret of accompaniment. I will hold a mirror to you and show you your value, bear witness to your suffering and to your light. And over time, you will do the same for me, for within the relationship lies the promise of our shared dignity and the mutual encouragement needed to do the hard things. We are each other’s destiny.”

And this: “Like flowers breaking through granite, I’m going to choose hope every time.”