On the day the children’s choir was set to leave for Disney World, I sat on my bike in my best friend’s driveway. It was sunny with that slight spring chill in the air. My friend and his siblings were carrying luggage and things for the trip from the house to the car. I just sat there watching, no sadness, no regrets, just gazing on the activity. As far as I was concerned, I had accomplished my goal of selling enough candy to pay for my choir robe. After a while, my friend’s mother’s voice cut through my trance. She was calling me. My mom was on the phone. Was I in trouble for something?
On the phone, my mom asked with excitement in her voice if I wanted to go on the trip. Did I want to go on the trip?! Was she crazy or had I just lost my mind. “Huh?” was my reply. She repeated the question with a little more gusto. This time my good sense kicked in although I still didn’t know what was going on. Of course, my answer was yes. She told me to hurry up and come home to pack. I tore out of there on my bike like I’d been called by God or chased by the devil. On my way home my mind raced faster than I could pedal. This was a dream come true. This was a dream come true. This was a dream.
While I packed as fast as I could my mother explained to me that the choir director called. I had sold so much candy, it earned me a spot on the trip. I had been so driven by the desire to keep my parents from having to worry about that choir robe and the sheer rush of the sell, I had secured an all expenses paid trip to Disney World. To a child who loved everything Disney, this was almost beyond belief. She gave me a crisp $10 bill and I was on my way.
My drive and intent had netted me more than a trip to the Magic Kingdom. It was a passport to possibility! All I’d needed was an opportunity to kickstart my solution finder. At ten years old, I had been armed with the knowledge of available power to make change in my circumstance. The trip down to Florida was an incredible journey in itself. I watched the landscape change – From tall southern pines to majestic live oaks draped with ghostly moss that finally gave way to palm trees and other tropical foliage. Then that magical place called Disney World.
It was more than a trip for me. It was a tear in the veil of my perceived limits, a glimpse through the keyhole to a place where my vision took root. That trip expanded my view beyond the world in which I existed – beyond the high wall of poverty on to the land of possibilities. It made possible probable.
Walt Disney’s vision and imagination continue to inspire me. It all started with a mouse.” He said. A seemingly small thing backed with imagination, faith, and intent, can net a major return. Even beyond our wildest dreams. That summer a long time ago, I was granted a key that opened the door to a glimpse of my mouse. Over the years, I drew and painted my way out of poverty. There’s a path for all who truly desire to go beyond where they are, ours is but to find it. Where there is possibility, there is power.
Notes of A Native Son 