Our trusted folks at Wikipedia defines hope as the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life.
In other words, hope is what you reach for when something bad happens to you.
Wikipedia also states that the opposite of hope is despair.
When the lovely Melanie Crutchfield asked me to be a part of this relay, of course I said yes. You don’t say no to MC without suffering the consequences. I thought I knew what I wanted to write about regarding the word hope.
Then I saw hope. At a garage sale. That’s right, a garage sale.
It was this past weekend and it was a merging of households kind of thing for us. I mean what do we really do with 2 couches and 2 toasters? My sister had a bunch of stuff too so we had it at my grandmother’s house because it’s the house that has the most shade in the driveway to combat the 105 degree heat.
As I was sitting in a lawn chair close to the garage door that lead into the house, I noticed this kid in the driveway, probably 7 or 8 years old. He was squatting down trying to get this toy wind-up monster truck to take off. The look on his face was that of a kid who just found the secret door to Willy Wonka. He was glowing with complete and unashamed smiles. He would do this over and over. Over and over in the 105 degree heat.
I noticed this kid because he looked different from anyone else there. He was completely bald. Eyebrows were gone. Thin legs and arms.
Cancer never looked more evil than it did last Saturday when it covered an 8-year-old.
As I watched him, all I could think about was the opposite of hope. Despair was the only thing my mind was concerned with. The typical “how could this happen” and “but he’s just a kid” thoughts were all I could think about. Then it hit me.
This kid was playing with a toy truck at a garage sale in 105 degree heat simply because he could.
This kid had to choose a path. Hope or despair. I have no idea what the disease is or the circumstances it has brought to him and his family. All I know is that a complete stranger with issues I haven’t ever had to deal with showed me in the simplest ways that you can always choose hope. Even with the most extreme of circumstances, you can always choose hope. A decision most of us have to make every single day. I think about this kid and how easy it would be to choose despair. To give up even at such a young age. But he showed me a better way.
He showed me by watching a toy truck take off.
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I would love for the following friends to take some time and continue this relay of Melanie’s. Anything about hope. Then of course, post it and ask more of your friends, etc. Use the cool graphic up there too. Try and get it done sometime before 10th of August. After that, Mel gets the hose.
JenO – My Tornado Alley
Abby – Abby Has Issues
Liz – I Am Pisspot
Never Had One Lesson 
I’m going to pre-thank me for showing me up because mine will probably be about how hungry I always am and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel because ice cream. And that makes me look like an asshole compared to your story. So thanks for that.
Had the same feeling. You’re in good company.
I have faith you will fly clear of any asshole-y comparison.
Also, ice cream could cure the world if people would just give it a chance.
Pre thank YOU, not me. Gah…stupid low blood sugar.
So true. Sometimes you have to choose good things. Sometimes you have to fight for good things. It’s so, so tiring. But what I love about this relay so far is that it’s making me remember that it’s worth the fight.
That’s the best lesson. It’s worth the fight.
Oh, also…”WRITE ABOUT HOPE OR I’LL BREAK YOUR LEGS!” said me, to everyone.
Seriously? Damn you. I’m actually feeling quite hopeless with a lot of things and was 100 percent going to avoid blogging about it–maybe even 110 percent–but now I feel like I have to in some way, shape or form. Sigh…damn you and your hope.
Get writing. And it better be good.
Beautiful, Jarrod.
Thanks Kristen.