Hope is something that I normally cling to like a child would its favorite toy. This is partially because I’m optimistic and idealistic by default, but it’s also because I don’t have much choice. I’ve never been very lucky, so keeping some hope is the only way I’ve managed to get through the majority of my life.
Hope, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is this: to cherish a desire with anticipation.
There are other definitions, ones that might fit a broad spectrum more accurately, but for me, hope has always been about dreams and obtaining them. I’ve always had big dreams, which has mainly gotten me into trouble and heartbreak.
It began as hope of getting out of Hot Springs, then Arkansas. Hope of getting into graduate school, of getting the editing and writing experience that I craved. Hope for publishing a short story, an essay, a poem, a novel. Hope for getting a job that I liked. Hope for finding a guy who could put up with me. Hope for moving forward.
But, as any writer will tell you, a writer’s life revolves around rejection. And, as college graduates across the nation can tell you, rejection is inevitable in this job market. So, I’m struggling. I’m having difficulty finding reasons to smile, to maintain my personality and my motivation.
The only thing that I can really do, that I have any control over, is distracting myself during all this waiting. With that thought in mind, check out the video below and do a little dance for me.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4cdfRohhcg&w=560&h=315]
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