As part of my job at the race track I run a kids activity club. Children can come to the club before the races start and there are crafts and/or activities for them to do. Because of the ongoing Olympics we were making construction paper Olympic torches yesterday.

I met one of the most inspiring people while doing that craft.

A young girl came to the kids club. She told me she was going into Eighth grade. I think that makes her about 11 or 12 years old. She was a completely normal kid except that one of her legs was missing. She used a wooden prosthetic.

Because we were making Olympic torches, I was asking her and a few other kids questions about the Olympics like what their favourite sport was and if they watched the opening ceremonies.

During this conversation, the girl with the wooden leg told me

“I am going to be in the Olympics.”

I said, “Wow that is an incredible dream. Good for you! What sport?”

She told me that she wanted to go for swimming, that she had already been practicing.

I just found it so incredible. She didn’t care that she was at a disadvantage with her leg to other Olympian swimmers. She didn’t even reduce herself to saying that she is going to try to be in the Olympics. She said with probably the most determination I have ever heard in anyone’s voice that she was going to be in the Olympics.

With a drive like that, I wouldn’t be surprised if she does make it there.

This is something that I love about children. They are really wise beyond their years. I pray that she never ever loses that drive of hers.

I really think that we should all strive to be like that girl. It doesn’t matter what kind of obstacles we face. If we want something badly enough, if we have a dream that is important, we should always always go and accomplish that dream. Nothing is really as impossible as it seems.