Hope dangles on a string like slow-spinning redemption.

Today is my birthday :) 18 years ago, today, I was being birthed (lol) in a hospital of which the name escapes me, in the city of San Jose. Yup, finally 18 years old. It really doesn't feel any different from 17, or 16 for that matter, but I'm glad that I've been fortunate enough to see the day that I become an adult.

It's funny how things change, and how when we try to imagine where we will be in the future, we are usually fairly far from the truth. On this day, last year, you would have seen me sitting on a bench outside of Olive Garden talking with my grandfather about my audition for the upcoming Tracy High show Romeo and Juliet, and how nervous I was. He told me not to worry, and that if anyone would be picked for the play, it would be me. Guess who was right?

I was at my work today and as I was pulling in carts from the fairly spacious parking lot, I thought about where I would've have been 6 months ago, a year ago, 2 years ago, elementary school, but I also thought about where I will be in the future. In a year, I see myself still at Las Positas, still trying to shove that G. E. out of the way. In two years time, I see myself at a four year college, maybe somewhere down south, learning about the mind and why people do what they do, with new faces, new places, and new experiences.

Who knows? Maybe my ideal future is totally off from what it will be? Maybe it's spot on? All I know is that I'm slowly learning that the future is where to look, and I'm very hopeful about my future.

Let's make this year a good one. In fact, let's make it better than last year. It's gonna be hard to top, but I know we can do it. What do you say?