The Eternal Spring of Hope

The earth has shifted on it’s axis, ushering in the warmer months for the sun-starved population of Central New York; the long awaited rebirth from the death-like winter cold. We have reached the yearly promised land of Spring, a season synonymous with hope. Much like the indomitable force of the seasons themselves, hope alters the very fabric of our consciousness. A sunny outlook truly springs forth new growth, new possibility.

Personally, I consider myself to be somewhat of a hopeful person, with a great deal of passion being attributed to this fact. Despite the fear and doubt I am occasionally gripped by, I try to live my life with a certain level of optimism. I believe it is both an overall choice of attitude and a daily skill to practice, an art form and a habit. Hope, at its core is truly about seeing things for what they could be instead of what they simply are.

My interest in social activism in part stems from this deep wishfulness I have as a person, to me all issues have the potential to improve if we work together. I have the hope that through our words and actions each of us can affect positive change in the world. I realize that people are capable of doing terrible things but I still maintain a faith in humanity, I hold the idea that the everyone also has the capacity to do wonderful things. I try to see each person I meet as an opportunity to learn something new, a chance to gain a unique perspective.

Recently, in fact, I met someone who gave me a great deal of hope. As I was taking the bus back from work I happened to strike up a conversation with a very strong and extremely optimistic woman who had a few physical differences. At first we chatted about the weather, she then politely asked about my ventilator and remarked how great it was that I was still getting around the world. Normally I would feel a bit awkward being told something like that but I had the impression she knew what it felt like to be different, underestimated. She shared with me the fact that she had, many years earlier, been shot directly in the face with a 12 gauge shotgun.

This very sweet woman told me that she had not been expected to survive period, let alone much past 40, she was now 63. She quipped that her mother had lived to the age of 90 and she planned on doing the same. This random woman on the bus had left me speechless with her story, I felt a wave of overwhelming positivity wash over me. As we reached her destination which was a small church, she handed me a leaflet with various Bible quotes on it and wished me a good day. Typically I would have again felt uncomfortable but I realized she was sharing something that had given her so much hope, even as a person who is not religious I appreciated this gesture of positivity.

I believe we all must try to find optimism in our own way, whether it be through religion, people or even our personal attitude. Hope, similar the persistence of Spring, can melt away the heaviest of snow and hardship, making way for the most beautiful things in life. Hope is not a delusion of weak and naive, it is a mark of the strong and fearless. Do not lose hope, for it can sometimes be all we have at the darkest hours.