You Can Do It!

When my kids were little, I used to tell them , they could be whatever they wanted to be. My son’s first dream was to be a garbage man. Bright and early, once a week, at the crack of dawn, he would be up and waiting at the window for the  garbage truck to come down the street. When they did, out the door he would run, screaming with glee.  He would wait anxiously at the curb for them to arrive.  They would greet him with a smile, knowing he would be there, week to week.    These were the days when strange men smiling at your kids did not send parents in to panic!  

He would watch them take our trash and be so excited to see them compress it. I think they did it, whether it needed it or not just to see his little face light up. He would follow along as they did several neighbor’s houses too, walking along side of the truck as the men talked to him along the way.   When they got past the block, he would trot along back home. They the real work began for him. 

In our house, he would begin pulling garage out of our trash cans and tearing it into small pieces and creating piles in our house.   He would spread these piles about the house. Then he would get his caravan of toy garbage trucks and begin his process of picking up all the trash.   As he diligently pushed them around the floors  and pick up each stack of trash, one by one,   I held back my annoyance with these piles because it was so cute to see his passion at work. Luckily too, he settled for making piles out of paper scraps!

My son went from this dream to wanting to be a pilot by middle school. When that phase hit full force, I researched on the internet to find the best schools to attend. I found one in Florida and requested materials about how to get admitted. My son and I both got familiar with the requirements.  I was excited at the thought of having a pilot in the family. That was until he decided he wanted to be a sports medicine doctor. And so it goes. … Note to self, kids frequently change their minds!

I believe in dreaming. I believe in trying making dreams come true. To do so often requires putting an  action plan together.  We must encourage our children and friends and those around us to discover what is their dream, their calling and go after it.  Tomorrow may be too late.   

This came to mind this past weekend as I watched my grand-daughter at her first soccer game. To say she was enthused to be there is an overstatement.   I think her interest level being there was right up with having a tooth pulled, getting a shot 

at the doctor or having the flu! 

Her parents gave her the opportunity to play a team sport, one in which requires running. She excels at running and is competitive so it seemed a likely choice.  Her performance at practice has been lacking but the true test was going to be at an actual game. 

Saturday arrived.  The weather was beautiful.   As the kids made their way to the field, my grand-daughter literally clung to her mom’s leg.   When she did make her way to the field, with her mom in tow, she promptly hit the ground playing in the nearest dirt pile.  That was the most action I saw out of her that day at the fields.  

I must say, she was the most striking girl out there though.   She had a fire, a presence and let it be known this was not her cup of tea. Even the least interested spectator could tell my grand-daughter was not partaking of the game soccer any time soon. 

There she stood, when she was not down cross legged in the dirt piles, with with her super long lean legs, big bow that was matched by a just as large brown beautiful eyes and a smile, when she choose to share it. Unfortunately, it only materialized when she was off the field rolling around on her mommy's lap! 

On the sidelines, her parents could not help but smile thinking of the contrast between this, what they saw out on this soccer field and her reaction on the dance floor. She screamed with delight at attending practice, smiled through out her classes and performed so wonderfully.   

It was an easy choice on what is a good investment of their time and their daughter's, bring joy into her life that brings smiles in her world or something that brings discontentment and frustration.  For now, they will give her a little more exposure to soccer to let the newness wear off and see if her attitude changes. If not, they will stick with helping her generate more smiles in her life.  

It is important for parents to cultivate a drive within their children and all others they meet a desire to be all that they want to be, be the best that they individually can be.  We owe that to ourselves, to God. That should be everyone's legacy when we leave this place.  Introduce your children, your friends, strangers, to new things. As new ideas come along, consider trying them out.   

Don't prejudge your children and label them; let them discover themselves by introducing different  skill sets, forms of expression or sports and recreational activities. Allow them to experience all the ways of tapping into themselves. They may have a hidden talent undiscovered!   We all need that feeling of fullness, oneness and success. It is especially true of children, our future leadership. 

Go beyond your comfort zone and expand who you are too. Lead by example  Living on the edge sometimes is a good thing. There may be a new talent you have. If not, have fun trying, being introspective and creating some memories.   

As I made the video below, I took various snapshots and had fun being creative. There are captions of occupations and opportunities we can do with our lives. We can go beyond our comfort zone and expand who we are with the simple stuff in life or the more difficult complex goals. 


There may be a talent in you, yet undiscovered, one you consider unreachable.  Some are serious, some are not so serious, but all captivate the mind.  They  make you think, what else could you be doing with your life?  Perhaps you should redefine yourself or refine who you are?   Now is the time. Why wait? I believe in you!