A Dreamer’s Dream
Our Central American journey concluded with a final Score on the outskirts of Sarchí. William brought our trusty BeGo to a screeching halt at the sight of two boys on the side of the road. They accepted our final ball with open arms and fancy footwork.
Giving out our final ball was a great feeling. We went to Central America with the intent on giving out as many balls as we could. 16! Not bad, if you ask me. Hopefully we made some dreams come true, too.
A short tangent if I may: I have had the privilege to live out one of my ultimate dreams: to film grizzlies in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Thanks to the help from my dad and the unexpected generosity of a single man, Rob Englehardt, I was entrusted to be part of the crew as a cameraman. Until Rob, I never knew the full power of generosity. I have since then made a new dream: to one day make another person’s dream come true, much like Rob did for me. And who knows, I may be able to live my dream, of fulfilling another’s dream, by simply giving out soccer balls.
You never know when a small act of kindness will convert a person’s dreams to reality. Giving out soccer balls to kids is our way of trying to help make dreams come true. One kid’s dream might be to one day play with an official size 5 ball. Another kid’s dream might be to one day play in the World Cup. But how is he/she going to perform on the grandest stage of them all if he/she doesn’t have a ball to practice with? Again, you never know when your seemingly simple actions could set up someone’s future.
It is understandable that your first Score may be difficult to get under your belt. Some of us are less outgoing than others. Some of us have a hard time talking to strangers (even if they are just kids). But I’m confident that if you make the initial effort, the addictiveness of spreading joy will consume you, and seeing the kids smile will make you want to Travel With Balls on all your future trips.
This whole trip has been very special for us. We had a dream to kick-start Travel With Balls in Central America so that you could all see what we were up to. It’s been about a year now that we have been trying to get TWB going. We started with nothing but our interests and passions, and from the collaboration of our interests and passions came TWB as we know it today.
TWB isn’t a business. We’re not a non-profit, either. We’re an idea – a dream that has found life in the act of practicing joy. There are no bounds, no limits, and no restrictions to our mission. There is also no right or wrong way to Travel With Balls. Movies, pictures, stories, songs, poems, essays…these are all great ways to express your experiences. We want you to decide how you want to share your TWB experiences. Share with us, share with each other, and share with the world.
From the bottom of our hearts (I know I can speak for William and Jan on this one) we would like to thank everyone who embraced TWB on the road in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. And, of course, thanks to those of you who followed us from home via Facebook, Twitter, and travelwithballs.com. Now get out there and Travel With Balls!
The Goal is Joy,
Starr