5'6" 115lbs All of Me

After years in prison, and a long crawl through a sewage tunnel, Andy Dufresne is free. Arms out, head up, rain on his face, he is free.

Andy hoped. The whole damn movie, he had so much hope. He believed that he was in a place that he didn't belong. He believed there was a beautiful life waiting for him. There was something inside of him that was untouchable.

Andy: That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music?
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn't make much sense in here.
Andy: Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget.
Red: Forget?
Andy: Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours.
Red: What're you talking about?
Andy: Hope.

Even though there was no reason to hope, and often there is not, he held onto it. That is how I want to live my life, you know? I want to hope. I want it to drip like honey. Hope is no guarantee. It works hand in hand with risk. It is what it is because there is a chance you won't get what you want. But there is so much beauty in that. Regardless of the outcome, that is the way I want to live my life.

I want to believe in something. I want to be someone who believes. I want to be free. And like Peter, who stepped out of the boat, I might fall. But for a moment, for a brief second, he got to experience the extraordinary. And for longer than a moment, before and after, he got to live in the Hope of complete freedom. Hope, sometimes, isn't for a reward. Often Hope itself is the reward.

What the hell are we so afraid of? I mean, really think about your life. Really. Is there so much to lose? What is the most that can be taken from you? Your life? God forbid, you might have to actually die to yourself, right? God forbid, you might actually have to lay down your life? There is more freedom in the death of your ego, the death of everything you are holding on to, than anything else. RISK! Just step out of the boat. Do you really want to be one of the others, wide eyed in the boat, while Peter got to walk on water?

Man in Black: Why aren't you afraid?
Desmond: Excuse me?
Man in Black: ...Why aren't you afraid?
Desmond: What is the point in being afraid?

Be free, friends. And take me with you. I am foolish. I forget. I fail. I succeed. I dance. I cry. I wallow in my self pity. I celebrate. I am afraid. I am courageous. I am incredibly inconsistent and I am a paradox. But I hope. I hope with all of me.

I hope. My whole damn life, I hope I'll have so much hope. I believe that I am in a place that I don't belong. I believe there is a beautiful life waiting for me. There is something inside of me that is absolutely, absolutely untouchable.

After years in prison, and a long crawl through a sewage tunnel, I will be free. Arms out, head up, rain on my face, I will be free... I hope.