Sometimes it all works out: a true story!

Here is a story of how a 10-year old boy made his dreams come true with hard work and a little luck!

Zachary is a 6th grader in Newport News, Virginia, who has played the flute for about 18 months.  Last weekend, he entered the Elementary Division of the Newport Flute Faire Competition, and to his surprise and delight, won it, in a field of 8 competitors.

With the award came a cash prize of $20.00.  Zachary made the rounds of the exhibitors.  What did they have that was $20.00?  I didn't know Zachary at that point, so I showed him all sorts of things: Multitools, Wristies, Wooden flute swabs, I gave him an FPS pen, but nothing caught his fancy.  He walked off and I kept busy, not giving it another thought.

Later that afternoon, Zachery, with a smile from ear-to-ear, flute in outstretched hand, came running across the marble floors (you can imagine what my worst case scenario mentality was doing with that one!!) saying, "Thank you!  Thank you!"  Still mystified, I gave back the enthusiastic hug I was being given, and listened as Zachary's mom, herself all smiles, explained.

Let me give you a little back story.  When I go to events for the first time, I like to give a meaningful item for donation to the raffle drawing.  At this event I donated a nice entry level flute. 

When Zachary left my table that afternoon, he had decided to blow all of his earnings and purchase raffle tickets-10 at $2.00 each, in an effort to win that flute.  You see, his parents were not able to purchase a flute for him, so he was still playing a rental flute.  For those of you who understand what businesses use as rental stock, you know this was not a great flute by any stretch of the imagination.

And then he won the raffle flute!

The joy in his eyes was the intense, pure, unadulterated joy of a 10 year old boy who dreamed an improbable dream and it came true.  I must admit, the sight of that joy brought tears to my eyes.  What a powerful lesson for me, and I think Zachary.  Sometimes when you wish for something, and you take that huge risk, and put all you have into it, it actually works out.

Thank you, Zachary.