The middle-aged man said to the children, in a tone of wisdom gathered from years of being an adult, and they listened carefully while eating hotdogs:
“You know, kids, sometimes life does throw a few bumps or twists along your way, but never give up, and remember that you have a limitless potential inside your body!”
The children nodded. And he continued:
“When I was a kid like you, I wanted to be a super famous hockey player; in those times you would hardly find a kid without such kind of dreams, but…”
“Did you succeed?” asked one of the bigger boys.
“So listen, I am not as strong or skilled as my friends, and it means that I cannot do as well as them.”
“But did you succeed?” he repeated.
“Oh please, after I finish my story. So due to my nature, inevitably, I was almost the designated substitute for every match we played in that little ice rink; I could not hit the puck accurately, nor skate well, but my yearning and interest in this sport kept me going on.”
He stared at the children, and gratefully no one was asking more questions.
“My friend’s figure on ice, so courageous and brave, motivated me to keep going, and I wanted, out of an unbreakable desire, to play and win.”
“So I began to practice more and more, more and more, just me on that field, skating and hitting and bumping and falling, but during all of that I never gave up. I practiced in school, at lunch, in the afternoon, even after my hand broke a few times! And I went from always missing to slowly being able to hit a few.”
He handed a little girl another hotdog.
“That continued for many years, and I went from a terrible player to being on my school’s hockey team. I went past those bumps in life and started to score, and we ended up second in that year’s competition.”
“So, the moral of my story is to never give up and always trust yourself!”
He smiled with great triumph, believing that his words would motivate the children, and they would all look at him, their mentor, with adoration.
But a little boy, with a tone of uncertainty, quietly asked:
“So is that the reason why you are here selling hot dogs for one dollar each?”
