See potential

I'm a very hopeful person. When I meet someone or am presented with a new situation I see the possibilities. Usually within moments of being introduced to someone new my mind has flown through years of experiences, opportunities, future memories; ways they could become part of my life and be my friend. More often than not what I imagine never comes true and my ideas of what could be turn into written stories instead of lived realities.

A friend once told me that if you don't expect anything of a person that everything they do will exceed your expectations. To me that way of seeing people is lacking so much. It assumes failure without only a small allowance for success. I find that if you expect more of someone, most often they step up and rise to your expectations. To paraphrase Jean Mouroux, "Do not love man for who he is; love him as the man God created him to be." Living that way has often left me crushed and disappointed but I wouldn't have it any other way. It is worth it for the times that the chances I've taken end up bringing amazing people into my life.

See potential. Hope for the opportunity of memories; even if they never happen, it is worth smiling through the dreams.