“Y'all don't know my struggle! Y'all can't match my hustle!”

Dream:

• a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal : I fulfilled a childhood dream when I became champion | the girl of my dreams | [as adj. ] they'd found their dream home.
• an unrealistic or self-deluding fantasy : maybe he could get a job and earn some money—but he knew this was just a dream.

I was talking to a friend tonight and he made me realize that it could always suck more! Now as I tried to relate this message to him, and I’m very aware that he knows this already, it was a wake up call for myself. We often take things in life for granted like it will always be there and the truth is it won’t.

He expressed to me the trials and tribulations he has had to face both while we were in high school and even now that we are in college. You see, this isn’t just an ordinary individual. This is someone who has always taken school seriously and has kept his work ethic throughout it all.

I remember when he was in JROTC with me freshmen year and he was always getting awards-including the academic achievement award for A’s in all subjects! Even though he got out of JROTC, we still had classes together, and he still achieved all A’s.

However, when senior year approached, he felt as though everything he had done would go unrecognized. Why? Because to some he was ‘illegal’ and to colleges he was considered an ‘international student’. Now is it fair for someone who has lived in America and worked hard to earn the same grades as other Americans to have to sit through senior awards and listen to how other people received scholarships from this organization and that organization knowing that he worked just as hard?! NO! But is life fair? Unfortunately, no.

Now don’t get me wrong, although this is a very hardworking student and employee as well, some wrong choices that he made forced him to grow up real quick!

So even though this student has the potential to go to Harvard, Duke, U of Miami, or any college for that matter, he wasn’t able to. It wasn’t because of his grades or involvement, it was because of some ‘legal’ technicalities which declared him as an international student and denied him of financial aid.

This young man had dreams just like you and I of attending a four-year university with scholars of his caliber but had to settle for Central Piedmont Community College. Because of some other poor decisions on his part he had to live on his on AND pay for classes himself. He had to defer his dream but you know what, looking at the bigger picture, that’s all this is - a deferment.

See what he may not realize now is that his hard work will pay off! God will NEVER bring you through something and not bless you when you come out. It doesn’t work that way.

So I am using him as my inspiration to keep chasing my dream and so should you. Realize that the position that you’re in may suck to you but be great to someone else and you shouldn’t take that for granted. To know that he is working 50 hours a week AND going to school makes me not only want to work harder with my ‘light load’ but proud of him for having the strength to handle his heavy load.


So to my dear, dear friend who I love a lot, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP BECAUSE IT COULD ALWAYS SUCK MORE!!!

And in the words of Mr. H.I.G.H H.O.P.E.S…
“If you were gonna give up you should’ve done it a long time ago!/ Look how far determination and a good mind will go!/ Cuz when you got HIGH HOPES/ they try to keep you low/ but when you know your soul/ they can’t defeat you though!!!!!!!”
I hope someone gets something out of this very true story!!!

Live Life! Dream Big! Be Blessed!

-KMB

High Hopes - Mr. High Hopes