Hi Reader,
No eleven-year-old imagines using paper route earnings for the family’s only Christmas gifts, but that’s how we paid for special treats under the tree during our first winter in Indianapolis. My eight dollars couldn’t buy much, but it was enough for fresh fruit—a splurge my mother typically would forgo so her paycheck would stretch further. She spent what she had left, plus my donation, to buy apples, peaches, and oranges. Each of us savored every bite when we opened our presents that morning.
The emotions I felt on Christmas Day were a blend of happiness that I could help my mother, pride that I could contribute to our morning, and a burning desire to know what was possible if we could improve our situation. My mother had already worn a path in her mind fretting over that same desire. She had high expectations for us that involved a far better education than the eight grades she completed. In the meantime, that small paper route provided big returns that I believe helped shape the leader I am today.
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