Hope

Dear Jack,

Today I was tasked with a weekly chore. Go to the grocery store and Sam's a pick up all the supplies needed for the restaurant for the upcoming week. The list is normally long, and finding some of the obscure things (such as a can of capers... what are those things anyways?) can be a tedious task. Nonetheless, it is something that must be done, and for all of my complaining, I do enjoy it. For some reason, I love wandering up and down the aisles of a grocery store, surrounded by vibrant colors, exotic smells, and chaotic people.

Things were different today though. My wanderings were not as relaxing as they normally were, mainly because I was having to do an enormous amount of counting. (e.g. 80 handfuls of fresh green beans, 20 cucumbers, 15 grapefruits, etc.). I was shoveling green beans into a bag when a woman with long hair struck up a conversation with me. It started out mundane enough- Isn't this disgusting- the green beans aren't what they should be given the droughts that have been plagueing the world as of late.

I simply nodded. Texas is always in a state of drought, although I had no idea the rest of the world was also suffering from a disturbing lack of liquid. Then, this woman morphed before my eyes. All of a sudden, she changed from a middle aged Central Texas housewife, to hippie extraordinaire/Al Gore's biggest fan ever. I think she must have watched the Oscar's on Sunday night, gone out and rented An Inconvenient Truth, and memorized it on the spot, for very suddenly, I was on the receiving end of a very vocal, liberal environmentalist tirade. In the middle of HEB.

I kept nodding, mainly because I didn't know what to say in response. She started to protest the war, citing that it was "all about oil" and then rounded the island of greenbeans to come to my side.

Now is the time that I should tell you I'm out of clean clothes, and that means that for some reason, I own a pair of camo pants. They are always the last thing I wear, but today I had no other choice. She then mistakenly took me for an army personnel and changed tune slightly, saying that she supported the troops, but if every person did not protest any way that they could then the world would soon be ending in fire and water.

I watched an episode of LOST last night. It was a Hurley episode which I enjoyed very much. The message of that episode last night was one of hope. Hurley tried desperately to help restore the hope that the group had lost lately, and very likely succeeded. He broke his own curse, if only for now. He found hope for himself, and for others.

I wish that I could have found a way to express that to the woman at the grocery store. Even when things seem bleak, whether they really are, or are just a product of an overactive imagination, find hope. Sometimes it is hidden well, but I always find that if you look hard enough, it can't evade you forever.

Always,
John