As I watched each of my friends make it through unscathed, my hopelessly optimistic side took over, and the nervousness I felt
subsided.
The phrase "hopelessly optimistic" suggests that the writer
looks for irony and contradictions as a way to cope with a difficult
situation
believes that the best will happen, even when little evidence supports
this belief
feels equally inclined toward expecting the worst and toward expecting
the best
refrains from feeling any hope, to avoid worrying about hopes that may
not be fulfilled