Look What I Did!

Spotlight on Yourself

Each of us has had, at some point in our lives, a few moments of total self-pride. I’m not referring to being egotistical, nor the pride that someone else feels for us and our accomplishments. I’m talking about honest, genuine pride that comes from knowing we did a job to the utmost of our ability, made the right choice in a tough situation, or acted in a way that makes us feel as if we were the best, even if just for a minute.

For some people, especially during our youth, it might be bringing home that glowing report card with the A grade boldly displayed. For others it might have been winning a trophy, or a ribbon, or even just scoring a run or making a 3 pointer. Sometimes the world notices and applauds our victories, and other times only we know how great we did, but either way, nothing is quite like that feeling of accomplishment and self-respect.

A Tale of Yesterday

I’d like to share a little story about a little boy with an IQ much bigger than his small frame. This young man learned to read at the age of 4, and read his first novel at the age of 6. His family moved around a lot during his childhood, and from the beginning books were an escape, a diversion, and a friend who he could keep with him when he moved away.

His birthday was late in the year, so he had to wait until he was almost 6 to start Kindergarten, and the following year, they moved him into 2nd grade, since he could read at a 4th grade level. He had  always been small for his age, and jumping a grade meant that he was that much littler than most of his classmates, so he was known very quickly at each new school as the “little brainy new kid.”

Okay, now that you have met the boy that I was, way back when, I’d like to tell you what happened to me one day, in the long-ago year of 1971.

The Campground

I was seven years old that summer, and had finished 3rd grade, in a single school the entire year for the very first time. Sadly after the school year ended, we moved again, and for a few weeks we lived in tents at a campground on the beach in Oregon, while my dad was working on a fishing boat. My little sister was four, and our baby brother was only two, so my mom had her hands full, and I pretty much had my days to myself.

I was working on reading my second full-length novel, “Lad: A Dog” and had my hardback open as I wandered through the campground one day. I had spent a while reading in the shade of a tree, but it was approaching lunchtime, and since we didn’t have a lot of food, I wasn’t going to miss out. The biggest problem I had, was that even back then, I became completely engrossed in what I was reading, and the “mind movie” was going full speed as I made my way to our tent.

Challenged

One of our fellow campers had set up a small fruit stand next to his trailer, and was sitting in a lawn chair watching me as I meandered through the campground, book open and head a million miles away.

“Hey kid!,” he yelled. “Come over here.”

Having been pulled out of the story, I bent the corner of  the page I was on to mark my spot, and made my way over to him. Now keep in mind that while I had finished 3rd grade, I still looked as if I were in kindergarten at best.

“What do ya got there?” he asked.

“A book,” I replied, with just a hint of sarcasm.

“A picture book, huh?” he said with a smug grin, which of course made me indignant. Reading was an important part of my life, and not to be belittled.

“No, it’s a NOVEL,” I said. “The only picture is on the cover.”

“BALONEY! Let me see that…” he replied.

He held his hand out, and I tentatively handed him my book. He flipped through the pages of the book, and satisfied, handed it back.

“You aint a-readin that book,” he said.

Okay, now I was getting a little mad. “Yes I am! I can prove it!”

“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. “If you can read me one whole page out loud, without having to ask what a word is, I’ll give you that whole box of apples by your feet.”

Triumph

I still remember that trip from his stand to our campsite. It took me a while, because I had to stop every three or four steps to put the huge box of apples down, since it weighed as much, if not more, than I did. He had offered to carry it for me, but I declined. I had earned those apples, and I was going to bring them home to my mom.

Even more than the long trek (step-step-step, set it down, shake my arms, pick it up, repeat) I remember how proud I was of myself. I knew that I had met the challenge and had the proof in my arms. Those apples tasted better than any others I had ever eaten, and that moment of greatness was engraved in my memory forever.

Stand Tall

You won’t always succeed at the things you try in life, and not everyone gets to win every time. Setbacks and defeats are a part of the whole journey, but so is success and winning. Try to be aware of even your little victories, and celebrate them.

You, along with everyone you meet, have the ability to shine and be a star, in some fashion. Never hide it when you know you are shining brightly, and on the days when your light is a bit dim, just keep in mind that tomorrow is a fresh chance to do your best, and the sweetest apples are the ones you earn for yourself.

Something to consider,

From Grandpa’s Heart