More Than The Weather
I met Sam, the Hope Chronicles founder, at my coworker’s bachelor party.
We talked about hope.
Sam shared with me a bit about his project, The Hope Chronicles, and I was instantly intrigued with the idea. Later that night, I went home and checked out all of the videos posted. It was inspiring and entertaining. Honestly, I cringed a few times too.
It hit me that these were real people. They weren’t actors. They were like people at work, in the store, or in my group of friends who had bigger cares than their favorite sports team, the weather forecast, or rehashing last night’s episode of the Jersey Shore. It bothered me that because of my self-centeredness I didn’t know the hopes of even my close friends.
That night I wrote, “I hope to place others needs above my comfort, prosperity, and security.”
I want to care more about people than to talk about the weather.
With that, I brought a Flip Camera with me on an already scheduled trip to Washington, DC to collect some hopes. Walking up to total strangers and asking them what they hoped was pretty scary in itself. My introduction kind of evolved into the first sentence out of my mouth being, “No, I’m not asking you to buy anything.”
My trip being three or four months ago I still remember those folks I talked to, and I think about them often. I remember sitting with a man on a bench talking about his community. Another bench of tourists, and I talked about Christ for a while. I ate overpriced hot dogs with two elderly ladies on the mall. I latched on a family on a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. By the way, that’s a lame DC tour. Skip it. I don’t think they’ve changed it since 1970. Some people I asked if they would go on camera. Others I just hung out with for a bit. By listening, our responses, prayers, and concerns for that individual are informed.
It was a pretty interesting day, and it was a trip that was different than waiting in line at the Smithsonian to look at some old stuff.
What stuck with me after that trip was the last “hope” that I collected outside of the Jefferson Memorial. She said something along the lines of your hope not having to be something huge like you yourself curing cancer. It can be something small like a smile that might encourage someone who is curing cancer.
I took from her statement that even during the routine and mundane seasons of our life, we still live purposefully. I believe that comes from something serving something way bigger than ourselves.
I want to care more about people than to talk about the weather.
- From our Community Listener Eric Dunlap
Take a look at some of the hopes Eric gathered in Washington DC:
- August 23rd: “From Washington”
- August 23rd: “Listen”
- August 30th: “Greater Good”
- August 31st: “Smile”
- August 31st: “To Louisiana”
- September 2nd: “Being Naked.” No tags for this post.