May I have the cheque?

Today, just before going home, my friends and I stayed just a little bit longer at the office to chat some more. It is a post-Monday habit we do to make up for a busy day. 

One of us is planning on buying a refrigerator and a television. We were looking at what's available on the net. We were adding up the amount needed and realized how tight our budgets are at this time. To compensate for the frustration, we laughed and laughed and felt good, until one of us jokingly said, 

"Ok. May I have the cheque?"

Laughter was louder after.

It was in this moment that I remembered an episode of Oprah featuring Jim Carrey. In the interview, he shared how he visualized himself getting ten million dollars for an acting stint. He said,

"I wrote myself a check for ten million dollars for acting services rendered and I gave myself five years. or three years maybe, and I dated it Thanksgiving 1995. I put it in my wallet. I kept it there and it deteriorated and deteriorated . But then, just before Thanksgiving 1995, I found out I was going to make ten million dollars on... Dumb & Dumber... I put that check in the casket with my father because it was our dream together."

                                                   -   Jim Carrey, Oprah Winfrey Show, 1997

I shared the story to the group and encouraged we do the same, so we wrote a check that's more than what's needed made out to one of us, complete with a routing number, account number, signature and a check number. We asked that she (to whom the check was made out) keep it in her wallet.

Now, we may not have the same fate as Jim Carrey did. The "cheque" might just deteriorate and we won't even notice. But one thing remained today - hope. And, I guess, hope is exactly what we need for now, not the money.