And the Little Engine said; “I think I can. I think I can.”
‘The Little Engine That Could’ is a folktale originating from 1906 used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work. The underlying theme is a stranded train unable to find an engine willing to take it on over the difficult terrain to its destination. Only the little blue engine is willing to try and, while repeating the ‘I think I can’ mantra, overcomes a seemingly impossible task.
A good story to ride on when things seem impossible. And a reminder of the importance of little blue engines in life.
‘All that’s good in me (self-portrait as son Luca)’. Original in colour.
(Reposted for World Dyslexia Awareness Day)
Kicked out of school at 13, Vincent is still barely able to read or write. After 20 years of isolation Vincent was diagnosed with dyslexia. “I can’t tell you the months of the year in order or the alphabet. I’ve tried to learn the times tables all of my life. I’ve accepted that it’s not going to happen and that’s OK. I can use a calculator and I’m getting along quite fine.”
“I was relieved that finally I knew I wasn’t stupid, there was just a processing problem in my brain which I could work with.”
Robin Small felt the turmoil on indecision in the balls of his feet as he rocked to – Will I? Won’t I?
Footnote: Sometimes when there are no answers, sitting it out for a while and taking some time makes good sense. And sometimes things never make sense but Robin’s ‘rocking’ seems to suggest he’s not stuck. He’s working things out – in his own time. Maybe he’s just wondering? And wondering (or daydreaming) is so often perceived as ‘doing nothing’. Nothing of value anyway. But it’s where ideas come from. It’s how we gain a deeper sense of things and their meaning – that others might just pass on by.
