I am the eternal optimist,
Blind faith and hope in all,
And each day eternally I am shocked
When the hopes all crash and fall.
In a constant state of disbelief,
I cry and break inside;
There is no solace or relief
When reality is realized.
I am the eternal optimist,
Naively trusting all;
Each day I find a bit more pain
When my trust falls off the wall.
One day I may learn from these mistakes,
One day I may see the truth,
But until that day comes I’ll eternally see
The potential for good in you.
Optimism: it's a dangerous word for this world in which we live. The optimistic heart clings to the light that could be, or might have been, inside those they meet. We consistently and repeatedly place people on pedestals; and then, when our hopes are dashed again and again, we cry and then attempt to rebuild those hopes.
Why? Why do we set ourselves up for failure? Why do we bleed ourselves dry over people who seem to have no intention of changing or healing in the slightest? What is this mystery of the human condition that we fail to understand?
To answer that, we must first consider ourselves, the optimists. We care so much about everything. We throw ourselves fully into conversations, relationships, causes, anything that needs love. We find the broken people and collect them like the treasures they are. However, we may be the only ones to see that treasure. We’re the children picking weeds for a bouquet for mom - the ones who find beauty in the refracted light through shattered glass bottles. We see that light, that potential for good, refracting and reflecting off the channels and cracks of so many chipped edges and broken dreams. We cling to that hope, that small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We need to love; it’s our purpose in this world. We are the teachers, the artists, the writers. We are the healers and helpers, the ones who find self-worth in serving others. We need to love in order to feel loved. In that fact, however, we find the heart of the problem and the answer to the questions. We are called to love one another. That’s the simple truth. But people are hard to love. They’re mean, petty, jealous, controlling, manipulative, and abusive. Yet, still, we try, and try, and try…
Why do we persist? Cliché as it is, a life without love is no life at all. To us, to our sometimes misguided, yet always loving, hearts, this is truth. This is our goal. In our heads, if we can love someone enough, we can open their eyes and let them see the them that we see. Because, to us, if they could see that beauty that they’re missing, they’d progress, change, grow…They would leave those self-destructive habits and decisions far behind…
And yet, they do not. Because as hard as we might try, we cannot control the actions of others. We can only be the love for them, shine the light for them, and hope for the best.
So, to the eternal optimist, I say this: don’t give up. Keep loving, because you may be the only love that person sees. Be kind, and don’t be discouraged. You can’t fix everyone’s problems and you can’t save everyone all the time, but you can make a difference. And a life may be better for it. Be light. Be love. Be optimistic.
