Hope for the Future

The grass is uncut down the street and high fences block front yards of houses. Bars adorn the windows blocking potential burglars from entering homes. A few blocks away, the empty shells of former houses stand beyond a fence. Yet, somehow in this neighborhood, in these times of economic troubles, there is hope. Hope stands behind the metal doors of St. Hope Academy and the Triumph Center. Here the underprivileged children play and laugh as if nothing is wrong.

We can all learn something from these children. So much goes wrong in our lives; so many financial burdens, so many personal problems in their lives, but they know nothing of them. Yes, they care about what is important to them, but they are able to laugh it off and go about their day with positive and hopeful attitudes. It's something we all should do - if something "serious" comes about, rather than saying our lives are miserable we should just accept things as they are.

I've learned a lot on my vacation to California - I used to at one point think that I could only see myself on the East Coast, in Washington, in Alexandria, or wherever that was within Metro distance of America's capital city. Now I've been able to get out and see what life is like on the West Coast. On the East, everyone rushes around trying to make their appointments. But on the West, everyone is more relaxed and seems to have no problem with everyday events.

There's still a piece of California I have yet to explore, and I'm saving it for when I am ready. This week I told myself I wanted to take a cross-country journey and explore America. But I'm not sure if I'm quite ready yet. I love the state of California so far in my short visit, but I need to hold myself back. Maybe I can take the journey when I'm more ready, but it doesn't seem like now is the time to go. I think after college is the time to explore. I'll be young, but I'll have learned a lot more lessons in the two years I have left at the University of Maryland.

This is my 100th post here at Blogger, and I hope that the next 100 are just as fun as my first. My first post was back in November of 2007... when I was still a freshman. Times were good... I was learning a lot of new things in my first semester in college... not only in the classroom but in my personal life. I still have a lot of ways to go there, and I hope you will join me on the journey that will take me down the road from here.