Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth President of the United States said “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
While reading The Best Of Times magazine a while back I learned that Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Noel Coward and Charles Dickens all had at least one thing in common. None of them ever finished grade school.
Wow! Such tidbits make me even prouder of the fact that I didn’t graduate from college.
For many years I was ashamed to admit that I performed very badly as a student at Harding University in 1966-67. Of course I was paralyzed by fear because we lost our beds at the orphanage when we graduated from high school.
In 1987, after I had my first book of poetry published, I made a trip into Shreveport, from Plain Dealing, with some LSUS graduate students. One of the ladies innocently asked me where I graduated from college to which I ashamedly replied that I had less than one year of college to which she quipped “well I guess if someone is going to write you really can’t stop them.”
On more than one occasion another friend has chastised me for admitting I hadn’t graduated from college to which I always reply that I am not ashamed of my lack of education and at this stage of my life I am just grateful that I have been able to keep on keeping on at what I love to do — write.
Though, a little late in life, I’ve learned that persistence is the key to success in any endeavor that we undertake. We may never make a lot of money writing but if we know what we want and doggedly pursue that goal success will one day come.
I gain inspiration from people like Thomas Edison, with less than three months of public education, invented the incandescent light bulb along with over 10,000 other inventions . He also founded General Electric.
All of these gems lead me back to the Bible that says “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but time and chance happens to them all.”
I am comforted reading Max Ehrman’s poem, Desiderata where he writes “:there will always be greater and lesser person. than yourself.”
Remember there will never be another you. You are unique. If you don’t tell your story in your words, through your eyes, your family may one day wish they had taken the time to ask you questions after it is too late.
It takes courage to be yourself, to follow your dream.
Contact Sarah at [email protected]