The definition of “Spero” is to want something to happen, with the expectation that it might, otherwise known as the Latin translation for “hope.”The magic number is 284, representing the number of times where I have failed in the last three years in a specific category of pursuit in my life. Despite being kicked while I got knocked down so many times, one thing kept me going: hope.

COVID-19 is bringing everyone down. This is a reminder to persevere and to find hope. Right now, we are all prisoners to our own devices, and we are all in a crisis. Therefore we need to find a way to keep moving forward.

So, what is hope for me?

It’s a white bird that flies across the sky when all you see is the clouds.

My uncanny sense of optimism and passion for it has always provided me hope. I cannot lose that in such times of realism.

It’s the penny that you pick up from the sidewalk and putting it in your pocket that makes you smile, thinking you’re one cent richer.

Whenever I take out the recycling and flatten the boxes for the bin, I have a sense of hope that I’m doing something right for the environment.

It’s the bad cat sitting next to you when you least expect it, and the fear of him/her attacking you. But, when it sits in your lap and starts purring, just knowing it is your friend will raise both of your eyebrows.

The narrative of professional sports gets me going.

Opening the shutters after a storm, raising the masts, and seeing the sunshine gives a sense of relief that we survived the storm.

The lyrics of Frank Turner gives me light. “We’re not just saving lives; we’re saving souls, we’re having fun!”

A robot vacuum that I own that does the work for me while I write this excerpt about my life gives me hope. Along with the dishwasher, laundry machine, and my dog, who licks up the scraps on my floor so I can try to write something super insightful. Keyword: try. Or is this just being thankful for creatures of comfort?

Having food, shelter, and the excellent company keeps me optimistic as well.

The perpetual pursuit of faith keeps me going. I’ve always believed that someday I’d go to church or study religion seriously. In this time of COVID-19, I have enough time to explore these avenues.

Knowing my friends are okay.

Discovering the definition of what balance of physical and mental health is and what it means to me.

The priority of keeping my mindset, ambitions, and relationships healthy will give me the hopefulness to be happy.

I love having eggs, bacon, and toast in the morning. Every time I start my day with some variation of a good breakfast, I know I’ll have the strength to start the day.

Everything I may have written would have meant what it is to be thankful. I’m venting on what is on my mind at this very moment.

There doesn’t need to be any deep thought to this for me to say, “hope is finding brightness in the darkest days.”

What I say at the moment doesn’t have to be insightful or philosophical.

I keep it light by saying that hope for me is to see the Minnesota Vikings play in the fall, only to let me down in January, all again to do it the next year. The worst part of this is that this is just what excites me when I think about it. What is even worse is that this sensation may not happen this fall due to this hysteria happening.

I’m a scatterbrain writer, and it helps me organize my life. I write to survive; therefore, the power of pen and paper gives me hope. I believe that it gives me the power to manifest my future.

Hope is something to look forward to like when the sunrises every morning. There was a time in my life where I’d occasionally wake up to watch it rise.

During this quarantine, please remember to recollect what you think hope is. Don’t think too hard; spit things out.

It has helped me a lot just by expressing what it means to me.

 

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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