To finding your ray of hope

The internet is ablaze about a woman laughing for a few minutes while trying on a Chewbacca mask. Already the video, up live on Facebook, has had 120 million+ views. And surprisingly, no negative comments, no one spouting hate. People 100+ million people just wanted to see the joy, a person having fun, not having anything bad to say about something, or spreading any more negativity in the world. Our lives today are so inundated with negativity, or wars and disease, people killing each other, of terrorism and prejudice, that we marvel at the ability of somebody to just.enjoy.the.moment.

I have a friend like that. Her name is Carla, and she is one of the most positive people I know. It’s not hard to get her to laugh. She likes the little things. She randomly texts you if she sees something that reminds her of you. She gets a blissful look on her face after one drink, because she knows that there are more coming with conversations about nothing and everything and that gets her truly and sincerely giddy.

It’s hard finding people that are genuinely optimistic these days, but she is. Her heart, even with its bruises and cracks, is still filled with hope. She’s not the type to spout inspirational messages, but you can tell that she gets inspired. She’s happy with the smell of coffee, or her dog smiling at her from his side of the bed.

That’s one of the reasons I really like having her as a friend. She’s a ray of sunshine, without being too saccharine. We throw dirty jokes around and finish inappropriate statements that would get us into trouble with our conservative friends, but gets the conversation going with the rest of the group. She can find the good side of any person without being too naïve about the reality of the world. She’s seen her share of bad things and have been deliberately hurt by some, but that doesn’t keep her from seeing the opportunities of others.

She puts herself out there, which is hard in itself, and she makes the effort to truly get to know them before deciding if they’re a good fit. She gives them too much chances even, putting her feelings on the line for theirs more often than not.

I marvel at her ability to love and give to others. I see her so tired but still willing to go out if a friend or family asks her to. Maybe it’s being the eldest of five girls, maybe it’s just her, but I’m lucky to count her as a friend.

The world has enough critics, pessimists, enough people like me that have found the cynical edge in every gesture. I hope life never gets to her this way. No matter what she goes through, I hope she still finds the silver lining, because the world needs more of her kind. We all do.

Do you have a friend like her? Do your hardest to keep them. They’re rare, rarer than moonrock in a museum. Rarer than pink diamonds. They are hope, and one should never find themselves without hope.