Ten thousand dollars; that’s a lot of money, but what do those numbers mean to an eight year old? What would a child even do with that money? Buy some bubble gum, some toys maybe. I believe that the only way to live life is by taking risks and never regretting a thing.
When I was eight years old, my mom and I went to the mall. I was okay with that just as long as she bought me a toy. In the middle of the mall there was a huge line and we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. My mom and I waited in line just because everyone else was, it must be good, right? So we finally near the front of the line and see it’s a birthday wheel. I’ve heard of these birthday wheels on the radio. This’ll be fun! The concept of a birthday wheel is that there are an array of numbers and months and the odds of someone winning are insanely miniscule. I was ahead of my mom in line, and I was up next. I’ve always been self-conscious, I still am. Being so, I stepped out of line and let my mom go ahead. I think I was nervous about saying my birthday to the stranger, but looking back I’m not sure why I was so petrified.
“June third,” Mom said.
As the guy spins the wheel I’m eyeing it like a hawk. It stops and lands on…MARCH 18TH. Holy cow… Are you kidding me? That’s MY birthday. This is a joke, right? Feeling like I’ve just been cheated, I don’t know, ten thousand dollars, I went home and spent the next week feeling regretful. If there’s one thing I learned it’s that I should never miss out on anything because I’m too shy or embarrassed. Seven years later I truly believe that taking risks is the best thing you can do in life.