Inspirational Story-Take 3

Every person has goals in life. Some are easier then others. For example, setting a goal to cook one meal a week is probably easier then quitting smoking. Training for a marathon is easier then training for an ultra marathon. No matter what goal it is though, in the end, without trying, without dedication and without the belief in yourself, a goal will be hard to accomplish.

In my job, I work with a lot of teens. As young as some of them are, they are constantly flooring me with their resilience and ability to keep going. Don't get me wrong, some of them floor me with their ability to make an excuse for everything and the amount of marijuana they smoke but I'm looking on the bright side. ;)

This is the story of Colby* (name/details changed to protect confidentiality). This week, he came in and gave me some really great news. Colby has been one of my "clients" for a while and he usually comes into the teen clinic because we are the closest thing to family he has. His mother and father are drug addicts and in jail and he really has no place to call home. He has seen more and been through more then any teenager should ever have to see in his or her young life. He didn't have a chance to experience being a child, being young, being innocent. He has, what I like to call, an "old soul" but a very good one at that. Colby has been trying hard to get his life back on track since he dropped out of high school. We signed him up for a program that would help him get his GED and a job. Every other week, he'd come in on my lunch break and we'd do a lil' GED prep and "shoot the shit" as he liked to call it. He was nervous about this test. Really nervous.

So today, Colby came in and sat down in my office chair and said, "I passed my GED tests. All subjects. The first time. All of them." He was quiet for a while and then he said, "Tricia, I guess I'm smart, huh?" I, of course, told him I always knew he was smart and that I was really proud of him. He said, "For the 1st time in a long time, maybe ever, I'm really proud of myself too." Colby is going to make something of himself. I have no doubt about this. After he left, I thought about this quote I read the other day. "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." Colby had the courage to start and, because of this, he's one step closer to a better life and, more importantly, a greater understanding and belief in himself.

Happy Hump Day homies! I hope that, today and everyday, all of you have the courage that Colby did.