1 Dana C. 2009-09-02T09:24:36-06:00 982 296 The day was a typical summer day - sunny, bright sky, and so much fun...you would think. Unfortunately, I was stuck working. I worked at a amusement park and wasn't really excited about working there that day but it had to be done anyway. Well while I was working I had this huge family come up to me and ask to get their picture taken. So I took it and one of the guys of the group waited while the picture was printing out. I asked him where he was from and he said California. I have always wanted to go to California and get a good job and a nice place there. So I started talking to him about it. After awhile of talking about my future and what I planned on doing his picture finished printing out and I gave it to him. He smiled at me gave me a huge tip and said "I'll see you in California one day." I told him you gave me way too much tip and he said "I know" and walked away. Even though it was simple it made me feel amazing. Those three words "see you there" is all it took to know that I am going to be there one day! 2009-09-12T00:00:17-06:00 1 yes 0 2009-03-11T07:17:56-06:00 820 252 My whole life I have never lived with my real dad, so everything that I have done has been with my mother. She has inspired me a lot in my life. My family has struggled a lot since my mother has always been the only source of income for our family, not to mention she had to balance working and taking care of me and my brothers. Despite the difficulties, we all have turned out to be good kids.\r\n\r\nMy mother encouraged me to play football and now I have a scholarship to play football for Scottsdale Community College. I remember the day she showed up at my high school and embarrassed me. I had not been showing up for practice so the coach called my mother. When she heard the news she came to my school to find me and ask why I wasn�t at practice. I can now say that is the best thing she ever did for me because now I have a chance to make it in the NFL.\r\n\r\nI really value my mother because without her I would not be were I am today. She has helped me see my vision.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 deonsprincess@yahoo.com 0 2009-02-09T13:45:43-07:00 788 243 My life got pretty crazy when I turned eleven. I broke my wrist and sprained my ankle playing basketball, my best friend turned out to be the guy I love, I had a ton of boy drama, lots of friend drama�pretty crazy. \r\n\r\nBut this isn�t about any of that, its about the one guy that changed my life forever.\r\n\r\nI'd known him since I was 5, and he was my best friend. In 7th grade (when I was 12) he told me exactly how he felt about me. He told me he loved me. And what did I tell him? That I felt exactly the same.\r\n\r\nWe started dating in 7th grade, and stayed together all the way through to 12th grade. Then he proposed to me. Of course I said yes, I loved him to death! \r\n\r\nI ended up playing basketball during my years in college, and since we went to the same college he was always my support. We married on the last day of college. After we were married he supported me in my dreams to become a WNBA player.\r\n\r\nThat dream has since come true�I know mostly because of his support. I am now a WNBA player, and we have been married for ten years!!\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 sassi.spring@gmail.com 0 2008-12-28T14:53:28-07:00 748 230 I just watched Track Coach and it brought back memories of when I was in grade 6. I joined the cross country running club. I hated running but joined because my friends were in the club. I worked hard and no matter how hard I trained, I constantly came in dead last. After yet another meet where I came in last I told my teacher/coach that I was going to quit. That I couldn't run, I hated running and all I was doing was pulling the team down. I don't recall his words, but I do remember he refused to let me quit. I remember feeling that he believed in me even though I didn't believe in me. I kept training and participating in the meets. He kept encouraging those who were at the top to stay there, and though I wasn�t at the top, I remember he never gave up on me. He encouraged me to keep going, that I could do it. \r\n\r\nThen the final meet came, a huge affair with all the schools from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia with hundreds of students running. We learned that the first 100 students across the line would win a running shoe keychain. I set off with the rest and quickly fell behind. I didn't stop, I kept running. My friends passed me and told me to keep running. I passed the line, finally, and received the 100th keychain. There were still several students behind me. For the first time, I was not last! I remember how excited I felt and how my friends were very happy for me.\r\n\r\nThe following week there was a school assembly. We in the track club were all called up in front of the school. The teacher/coach shared that we pulled high spots at the meet, that we brought home ribbons and trophies, and that everyone on the team came home with awards. He shared how proud he was of our hard work. I felt myself slinking down, I didn't win an award or ribbon or trophy. I came in 100th place, not 1st place and didn't deserve his praise. \r\n\r\nThen he came behind me, put his hands on my shoulders and told the school he was proud of me personally because I never gave up and because of that, I pulled from last place to the middle of the race - which was an incredible personal triumph. He then talked on how its not who wins the race, what is more important is teamwork and doing your best. He spoke on how we all encouraged one another and how well we worked together, even though we all were racing alone. \r\n\r\nI never forgot that moment and pass it on to younger people - never give up, give it your best, work with others, be a team and be proud of your accomplishments. It doesn't matter if you are 1st, what matters is doing your best.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 sockerstr77@aol.com 0 2008-06-12T15:13:46-06:00 512 156 My story is a simple one. First of all, I'm the youngest of six children and I don’t live in the best part of town. I started out at a school where 93 percent of the student population lived in poverty and a report card was simply a bunch of letters to most kids. This school was known for its bad test scores in both reading and in math. For several years while I attended school there it was on the verge of being shut down because "it failed to meet the standards set by the state board of education." It would have been very easy for me just to slack off like almost everyone else there. To tell you the truth, I might have done exactly that if one thing in my life hadn't happened. \r\n\r\nAt the beginning of second grade, my aunt bought me the first Harry Potter book. Here for the first time I began to read. I loved that book so much that I read it over and over again. It encouraged me to read other books which all amazed me. I also discovered the story behind J.K. Rowling’s success. How she had started with nothing to her name and then, due to her incredible inspiration and sheer brilliance, worked her way up the ladder and became one of richest women in the world. I can't put into words what this did for me and how much motivation it gave me. \r\n\r\nFrom then on I began to work harder than ever in school and started to receive A's in every class. I didn't limit my learning just to the classroom either. I went out and found out more about the world we live in and I was determined to work hard so that one day I would be able to share a similar story as Ms. Rowling. Today I'm in the top one percent of the nation in both math and reading. I continue to receive straight A's and also still love to read; Harry Potter is still my favorite. \r\n\r\nI'm writing this story to tell you that you don't have to live in the best neighborhood or go to the best school to be successful. Anyone can do anything—it is the foundation of the American Dream. I also want to express how one book or one person can change a life. I owe all my accomplishments and achievements to J.K. Rowling and her outstanding books. She is truly the one responsible for getting me interested in reading and in my school work. I would just like to say, thank you Ms. Rowling for inspiring me to be my very best and for helping to create an unlikely genius.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 ehloring@hotmail.com 0 2008-06-05T04:49:13-06:00 506 154 I was a very young mother of two, when my husband of nearly ten years died very suddenly. Bob, who had just turned 34, had, had a fatal arrhythmia in his sleep. I was 31, with a thirteen month old baby and four year old–both girls. My family did not live close by, but everyone was there to support me through this very difficult time. Needless to say, it was a shock to everyone. Some people avoided me, because they didn’t know what to say; others were very kind and spoke from their hearts. Through it all, I guess you could say I was a pillar of strength. I felt with two small ones, I didn’t have the luxury (if you want to call it that) of falling apart. I was probably in shock, as well. I would describe my feelings about Bob’s death like a book closing without ever learning the ending. In a way, I was lucky. Everyday we had always said “I love you”- so even though we never had the chance to say goodbye, there really wasn’t anything I needed to say, because we had said it everyday.\r\n\r\nAbout a month after my husband died, coincidentally, a father of one of the children in my daughter’s nursery school also died. I inquired at the nursery school of the child’s mother and wondered if there was anything I could do. I didn’t want to impose, because everyone deals with these situations differently. As it turned out, I decided to write a note to the mother. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I told her that my husband had also just died and asked if I there was anything I could do. Shortly after, she called me. Unlike me, she had no family to help her and was alone. She had a baby, as well as a four year old and an older child from a previous marriage. I went over to this woman’s home, watched the children for her so she could get some rest and helped her straighten up her home. We talked. She confided in me about her husband’s death. Over a period of time we talked, eventually moving on with our lives. From time to time, I would run into her and she would always tell me how grateful she was that I had been there for her when she had no one else. \r\n\r\nShortly after, I actually received a call from another young woman (a friend of a friend) who also went through a similar situation. I always tried to make time to talk and be a source of support. Every time I gave something of myself to these people, I realized it helped me to feel better and heal myself. Giving of myself was a way I could help others, but was probably a greater gift to myself.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 monique@confidentgirlsguys.com 0 2008-03-12T00:39:51-06:00 451 143 When my now 19 year old daughter was in Grade 3, all of Mrs. Mathews’ students were given a small pot with a bean seed to plant. Green string beans it seems are pretty hardy and the perfect seed to use when promoting green thumbs in young children. That same plant was also a most unexpected source of understanding and insight for me. \r\n\r\nOnce the bean plants had sprouted and flowered, their teacher allowed the kids to carefully transfer the precious cargo from school to home. Once home, Shanna scouted around for the perfect location and settled on a sunny south window sill and then proudly declared, “Soon I can feed the whole family!”\r\n\r\nShanna’s sisters were envious and even our cat looked intrigued which should have been a warning to me because when I woke up the next morning, I saw that the bean plant had been maliciously knocked off the window sill and ripped from it’s pot. Its’ leaves were frayed and except for a limp thread of stem that still connected the roots to the flowering top, it was quite unrecognizable from the day before. The plant, it seemed, was a goner. \r\n\r\nI dreaded what I had to tell Shanna but as I gently began to explain that the bean plant had to be put in the compost, her reaction was not what I expected. She said, “Everything will be ok Mom, the plant will get better.” \r\n\r\nWithout wasting a second in thought she secured the first aid kit from the bathroom returning with gauze, a tongue depressor, bandages and a deep belief that the pathetic looking, near-dead bean plant would live, thrive and even produce food!\r\n\r\nI had mixed emotions knowing that she was postponing the plants inevitable trip to the compost bin but I went along with it and helped her wrap bandages. Days later, to my absolute surprise, the bean plant was standing tall and looking perky. We were able to remove the bandages and discover a protruding hump in the stem where its near-fatal stem break had been. It was also amazing to see that the one and only bean, had become plump almost completely masking the claw marks that had scarred it.\r\n\r\nI don’t know why I hadn’t thought the cat might go for a second round because it surely did, and this time I ran for the first aid kit! I carefully applied a heavy blanket of everything from cotton and gauze to coloured band aids with “ouch” written on them and when the medic work was done, I whispered a little something to the heavens.\r\n\r\nJust one week later we were able to take the bandages off and again we barely found evidence of an attack and there was even a new sliver of green where a second bean was forming. I was excited and amazed while Shanna had been expecting nothing less. Back to the window sill it went but this time we built a fortress of heavy books to keep it safe until our day of bounty. \r\n\r\nI set the table beautifully with all the fanfare of a Thanksgiving dinner. The beans were carefully divided by 5, which awarded each person 2 small pieces, claw marks and all. They turned out to be the best green beans I had ever eaten! \r\n\r\nMy daughter never quite understood my exuberance over the significance of the beans and the valuable “mom” lesson I learned which I carried over into my work as a youth motivator where I am often brought together with kids and teens that all desperately need people to believe in them. Now, more than ever, no matter what I have been told about a child or a teen and their behavior, I see everyone, no exceptions, with the same eyes and heart that my daughter used on her broken, beaten up bean plant. \r\n\r\nI wonder if it’s a coincidence that later that same week, I stumbled upon a most appropriate quote by Italian Poet Dante (1265-1351): “From a little spark, may burst a mighty flame.” \r\n\r\nEspecially if you believe…!\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 ellie-olson@hotmail.com 0 2008-03-09T14:54:30-06:00 450 142 "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." This quote has always seemed to describe me perfectly. All throughout my high school career I have always been the person to play it safe. I would sometimes venture out of my comfort zone by trying something new, but would easily become discouraged when things didn't work out the way I had thought they would. \r\n\r\nIt is now my senior year, and it is quickly coming to an end. I was always very passionate about music and I am proud to be a member of our band. However, I almost quit last year because of my fear of playing solos. I decided however that I loved band way to much to give it up that easy, and I would deal with the consequences that came with my decision to stick with it. \r\n\r\nTwo months ago my director informed me that he wanted me to be the featured soloist in a piece of music. Of course I was terrified, but he assured me that everything would be okay, and that he had faith in me and knew that I could do it. Up until four days ago, I could not make it through the solo. I would always seem to get discouraged before I played it, and pretty much woke up every morning thinking 'I wonder how I can mess things up today?' I decided to ask my director for help thinking that he would tell me that I didn't have to do it and that he was still proud of me. Instead, all he said was “You just have to have faith in yourself.” I thought what he said was cliché so I didn't really think about it. But, I figured trying his advice wouldn't hurt, so I started the next morning different. Instead of me wondering how I could mess up, I imagined myself playing through my solo with confidence and I kept on telling myself that I could do it. \r\n\r\nThe weird thing was...it worked! Every single day after that I played the solo without any flaws. Tomorrow is my big concert, and I'm a little nervous, but, I know that I can do this. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I realize that after all this time the only person that was holding me back from being my best, was myself. So, I am once again out of my comfort zone, but now that I have faith in myself, I think things will go a little differently than they have in the past. And, hopefully after tomorrow the quote "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." won't describe me anymore. \r\n\r\nMoral of the story, always do the thing that you fear the most, and don't get discouraged if you fail, just keep on trying harder.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 0 2007-10-12T06:47:07-06:00 368 124 I still remember it so well, that night before my boards exams...\r\n\r\nEven though I was a topper of my class, subjects like history and geography sent chills down my spine. At around 10pm, my brother went to his room, and my parents also left. No one asked me how was I feeling...I had so much anxiety; I felt like crying and hugging my dad, just to let off the tension. But when I went to his room, I saw both of my parents sleeping. \r\n\r\nThinking not to disturb them, I came back to my room, wondering what to do now. I tried to sleep but my eyes were not closing. Suddenly, I saw my dad coming in, with a smile on his face, asking me to go to sleep. It was then that I told him that I am not getting sleep. He called me into his room and kept his hand on my head. I didn’t even know that I fell asleep...It felt so divine and comforting beyond words. \r\n\r\nI took my exam the next day and even topped in that semester too. My dad’s mere presence had helped me through that stressful time. It’s tough to put in words what parents do for us but times like these remind me just how wonderful parents truly are. \r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 0 2007-05-23T23:39:23-06:00 201 93 I remember that hot summer afternoon when I was finally taken to the hospital to get a glimpse of my much-awaited sibling. I had a baby sister and in my five-year-old mind what was of utmost importance was that now I had my very own playmate at home. My father and I waited outside the hospital room for a few minutes before we were ushered inside. I walked in and ran to my mother happily; even those 2 days without her seemed endless. My mother said, “Come meet your sister.” I tiptoed and walked over to the cradle where I saw this red woozy ball with black hair and eyes closed. I bent down to touch her and as her eyes opened wide I saw the thick-fringed eyelashes and her shining black eyes looking back at me. I think it was at that moment I knew that I had found my best friend, my buddy, my lifelong partner in crime. \r\n\r\nMy sister and I have been a trial for my mother; we were a pair of monkeys and the stories of our escapades are part of the family folklore. Because my father was in the army, he was not around too often during our growing up years. Thus, my mother brought us up almost single-handedly and it must have taken real strength of mind to bring up such naughty and stubborn children who got out from one trouble only to get into another. My mother saw to every little thing, be it our school, to our meals, our clothes, down to the last tee. Though she was always very affectionate, sometimes we really tested her patience. \r\n\r\nBonu [my sister] and I weren’t scholars either. On the contrary, we hated studying and Ma always told us that ‘this is the only route to doing something worthwhile in life.’ We were forced to spend time with our schoolbooks--out of the fear of Ma’s scolding. I loved reading but when it came down to Math’s or the Sciences I dreaded having anything to do with these subjects. I almost did not make it to 10th grade, a consequence of taking it too easy and I had to pay a heavy price for it. That entire summer Ma saw to it that I did my sums regularly and read my biology and physics from the very first chapter ‘till the last. My sister was no better than me. \r\n\r\nI left for college at 18 and Bonu was left home alone with my mother. She often complained, saying Ma was over-bearing and bossed over her. In my second year of college, while I was studying for my final exams, I got a phone call from Ma one evening saying my sister had failed her 9th grade exams. Ma was heartbroken. Nobody in our family had ever flunked before and my sister was so upset. My mother was an English teacher in a reputed school in the city and it was a let down for her, and, more than anything, it was humiliating. My sister did not speak to me that day, apparently she cried herself to sleep that night. \r\n\r\nThus started another tribulation for my Ma. She had always had to listen to outsider’s complain about the both of us or people expressing their doubts on how Ma could let me go away to college in a far off city at the age of 18. There always seemed to be people who would come and talk about how well their children were doing while my mother would be having a tough time making sure we stayed on the right path. Ma was determined though that we would do well for ourselves and that’s how she dealt with my sister’s setback. She never let my sister feel that she had lost out on something and always told her: “Let this be a lesson. We are going to work really really hard. Even if the world seems to be coming to an end now...Circumstances will change.” My mother and sister formed a team and they systematically got around to changing my sister’s academic skills. Times did change, but very slowly and gradually, one little step at a time. \r\n\r\nIt has been a step at a time. I finished with law school last year and finally started working. My mother’s belief in me paid off. It has been 4 years since that fateful day when I got that phone call. My sister is 18 now. In fact, I got another phone call a few days back. My sister’s school- leaving results were coming out on the net. I was waiting for Ma and Bonu to call me that afternoon and couldn’t pay much attention to my work in the office. The phone rang and as I picked it up apprehensively I heard Ma’s sobbing in the background and my sister’s anguished high pitched voice saying “ Didi! I got an 88%!” I exclaimed “ What?!” I could not believe my ears. She had passed the exam with flying colours and could now make it to the best of colleges in the country. My little sister, whom everybody had written off, had done amazingly well and could now go to the best of the educational institutions. My mother was in tears. She was overwhelmed as it took some time to sink in. Later at night while speaking to her I said “Ma, your two little failures didn’t do as bad as everybody thought they would.” Ma laughed and said “You are my daughters and I knew both of you the best. I always knew that you were never failures. It was just a matter of time.”\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 0 2007-04-02T13:38:16-06:00 158 87 I grew up in a very proper Catholic family. Five brothers and me, with just enough of all the right ingredients to make it a childhood well remembered. It was a very strict upbringing, and, in those days, more the norm than not. \r\n\r\nMy father used some unusual techniques to teach us and rarely spared us from the school of hard lessons. These are the two I cherish most.\r\n\r\nOn the first day of 2nd grade, my father asked me if I could read well. "Yes, I can," I said. So he gives me a hand drawn map with street names and directions on how to walk to school. School is 3 miles away, and I have never been off my home street by myself, ever. \r\n\r\nThe look he gives me as he hands me the map with my lunch box and jacket says very little, he simply says, "Everything you need to know is written on the map, read the map and follow the directions, don't run, don't stop and don't turn back."\r\n\r\nOkay, by now I'm standing in disbelief at his request, scared to death, but he kisses me goodbye and sends me out the door. And off I go to school, crying, but walking. \r\n\r\nI don't know how long it took for me to get there, or how many fearful and anxious moments I had, but I do remember forever how it felt when I came around the last corner, and saw my school. The relief, the laughter, the joy. I had made it! I jumped up and down and angry as I was with my Dad, I wished I could tell him right then that I had done it. \r\n\r\nHe wasn't there when I got home and I was asleep when he got home. The next day he saw me and said, "Hi, I saw you playing at recess yesterday, did you have fun?" I murmured, "Yes", and waited for him to ask what happened. He never did. He just grabbed me up and took me to breakfast in the kitchen and we laughed and talked and our day began.\r\n\r\nYears later I finally got the courage to ask him why he did that and why he hadn't cared about what had happened.\r\n\r\nHe just looked at me for a few minutes then said, "I didn't have to ask you, I knew. I followed you the whole way in the car, but far enough back so you could not see me. I saw you jump up and down at the last street corner. I felt what you felt." Then I understood and I cried.\r\n\r\nIn high school, my freshman year, I joined the girls athletic club. At our first track meet, I entered into the long jump, and was made an alternate for the 50 yard dash. I protested the 50 yard dash, since I was better at long distance, but they assured me I would never have to run, they just ran out of alternates.\r\n\r\nGuess what, the primary for the 50 yard did not show up and I had to go. As i walked up the to start line, I saw my Dad on the sidelines. This was the first time he was able to make it and I thought, Oh no, he's watching. \r\n\r\nPosition, ready, set and off goes the starting gun. Believe it or not, I close my eyes and run like I've never run before. \r\n\r\nNow never believed I had a chance of winning—I was an endurance runner, not a sprinter. But, lo and behold I start to hear cheering and think for a minute, is it possible? I open my eyes and to my utter dismay. Everyone else is crossing the finish line, inches away from each other and I am only half the distance. \r\n\r\nThat moment felt like days. I felt so stupid, I just wanted to melt into the ground and disappear. Worse than that, my Dad was watching and then I felt ashamed and humiliated. I kept running hard as I could, crying all the way towards the finish line. It seemed no one noticed me as I crossed the finish line and walked away with whatever dignity I could muster. As I passed the bleachers, I saw my Dad standing there looking at me and I thought, why did he have to see that? I was ashamed to look at him. He walks over to me and says, "I'm so proud of you." I'm flabbergasted, "For what!" I said, "Everyone else finished before I even got half way, I looked like an idiot." And like always, he waits a beat before he speaks, "Because you didn't quit, not even when you realized what had happened, you still gave it your all and finished." I laughed and cried at the same time.\r\n\r\nI found I could face what seemed impossible, even alone and afraid, and, that winning does not always come in the package you expect. I give my best effort to all I do, win or lose. I don't quit in the middle of anything. And when I wanted most to quit on myself, I didn't. \r\n\r\nMy children are raised and on their own now. I see the evidence of my efforts in their lives by their dedication to their families, hard work, good character, integrity and hearts for service. I watch as they begin with their children. \r\n\r\nThanks Dad.\r\n 1 2009-09-12T00:00:16-06:00 1 0 2006-08-22T10:26:58-06:00 79 64 “How you going to feed that pig?”\r\n\r\nDad’s question rendered me speechless. I had been saving to buy a pig for months, and when somebody gave me a dollar for my sixth birthday, I had $5 to buy the pig. Then he said: “I have a deal for you. I’ll furnish the feed for your pig, and you can furnish the labor to feed the pigs. Then, when your pig grows up and has pigs of her own, we can split the litter, each of us will get half.”\r\n\r\nI got my first memorable lesson about ownership that day. With a few minutes of inspired conversation — which remains etched crystal clear in my memory more than a half-century later — he had used my self-interest to get me to do farm chores, and I felt like a real partner.\r\n\r\nIn more than 3 decades of professional work with organizations and teams, I have not encountered a better example of building ownership. My father not only got me to willingly participate in the family economic system, but he also made it part of my self-interest. This is the key to developing people’s ownership for a goal or a project, and I have seen it work over and over in communities, organizations, businesses, and families. 1 2009-09-12T00:00:15-06:00 1 0 2006-08-22T08:55:11-06:00 65 51 My sister Jane talked me into training for a marathon even though I was in terrible shape, and not athletic like her. I often wanted to quit, but she spurred me on, and always had a positive attitude. She was very disappointed that she couldn't go to the New York More Marathon with me, but, as is typical of her, she phoned me during the run with all kinds of encouragement and praise.\r\n\r\nThis past weekend she was finally able to run her first marathon ever. She is much faster than me, and she has more stamina too, but her generous and kind nature shone through as she paced herself so as not to get ahead of me. We crossed the finish line together, holding hands. I guess this struck me as a metaphor for the way my sister sees life; she'd rather finish together than be the winner. 1 2009-09-12T00:00:15-06:00 1 0 2006-08-22T07:12:18-06:00 26 12 I was a scared 10-year-old girl in the hospital having reconstructive surgery. This was back when you checked into the hospital the day before your procedure.\r\n\r\nI was shy but met some of the kids in the ward. I was pleased and surprised when they walked me to the elevator as I was being wheeled down for surgery.\r\n\r\nBut nothing could match my surprise as I was wheeled back into the ward 3 hours later and found nearly the whole ward waiting for me at the elevator door! They accompanied me back to my room until the nurse shooed them out. I have never forgotten that kindness. 1 2009-11-11T11:13:09-07:00 1 0 2006-08-22T06:26:11-06:00 14 1 It was another dreary and gloomy day. I had come home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work. I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier, seater and busser.\r\n\r\nI went to work feeling down and out. And to make matters worse I was bussing that evening. It's the same thing over and over again. Dealing with customers who complain and whine about their food, where they are sat and how the piece of pie that they are served is too big or too small. Little things like that tend annoy a lot of our employees but we all learn to deal with it. Some days it is annoying but you just get used to I guess. I know I have.\r\n\r\nThree elderly ladies walked in and were sat at a booth by the windows. It happened to be the very spot near where I bus and keep the dirty dishes in the bins. I was bussing since 5:00pm and we were quite busy. Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, people leaving and coming in and servers running all over the house, it was crazy. But these elderly women were watching how I was bussing and working really hard to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers.\r\n\r\nWhen they were finished with their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen. They talked to me for awhile about school, how I was doing, what grade I was in and what I planned to do in the future.\r\n\r\nAs they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a confident and gentle voice, "You are going places." And that was it. They left the restaurant and I was pretty much in awe. I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me reason to believe in myself. They picked my spirit up from being down and out and gave me a reason to keep on working hard and to give it my all.\r\n\r\nPeople used to tell me that I couldn't have a career in television until I had a degree and was out of college. I'm now an executive producer and co-anchor of a student-produced television show. I just finished an internship at a local television station this past summer. And the best thing is, I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school. 1 2009-09-12T00:00:15-06:00