Hope Project

Even though I graduated from college, it seems as though final class projects are still having an impact on my life.  One of my last classes focused on Positive Psychology, and included a Hope Project which would be returned to us at a future date of our choosing.  I finally received mine in the mail, and I quickly ripped open the red envelope to recover the small mementos I had hidden within.  Unlike my classmates, not only had I written a letter for myself, but I included a number of meaningful tokens from the cork-board in my room:

• A blank card with an image of a crosswalk sign.  Instead of the red handed stop-sign, there was a red handed I-LOVE-YOU sign in American Sign Language.  This was included because I am always walking, no matter the distance between where I am and where I need to be.
• A ticket from the Mata Expo, a deaf convention, in Ontario, CA.  This was included because it symbolizes my ambition to finally take ASL classes and being able to communicate with those who are Deaf.
• A ticket from the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA.  This was included because I have been a longtime fan of Tim Burton’s work, and I would one day hope to meet the man who influenced my childhood.
• A ticket from the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum.  This was included because it marked a poignant moment where my family came to see me at a time when I had no discernible path in sight.  They were a flicker of hope when I was plagued by doubt and uncertainty.
• A small decal sticker that features Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes, with the words “Compressed Thought” in the upper corner.  This was included because it was found in my first week of college after a long unexpected hiatus.  I found it on the floor of the college library.
• A yellow piece of lined paper that consists of places visited when I was in New York with my mother.  This was included because it marked a moment when fate truly surprised me.  I had won an all-expenses paid trip to New York, and it remains as one of the most amazing trips of my life.

With these mementos back in my possession, I wasted no time placing these items back on the cork-board.  I am thankful for the Hope Project, and I know that these little tokens will continue to inspire me, to push me, and to encourage me to keep going.