"Long Live Capitalism"

I was getting bummed out at the local festival. I know, I should have been happy, eating carnival food and looking at all the booths loaded with interesting things for sale. But I saw a bunch of out of control children stomping the daylights out of some beautiful plants in a public garden. The mother didn't know what to do with her precious darlings who were running rampant and destroying public property. I was really getting steamed. My wife and kids were trying to control me so that I wouldn't "accidentally" trip up the little menaces.

Then, I saw something that turned it all around for me. There in the middle of the street was this kid selling balloons. He was taking balloons, and twisting them into umpteen different formations and creating animals out of them. And people were buying his wonderful artistic creations! They were shelling out money hand over fist, and this kid was loving every minute of it. He had made this terrific, colorful hat out of his balloons so that people could notice him more. Not that he needed more attention. A considerable crowd had gathered around to buy his balloon animals. He was just amazing to watch.

I finally walked up to him and said, "Where do you go to school?" "I'm homeschooled!" he cheerfully replied. "How old are you?" (I was thinking he was about 12.) "Thirteen--here. . . " then he whipped out a business card and handed it to me in between making another amazing balloon creation for more small children and grateful parents. He was charging two dollars per balloon creation. He was happy. They were happy. He found a hole and filled it. And I'm sure by the end of the day, he had earned----earned---enough money to start paying for college (which he was probably smart enough to start attending next year). I told him, "God bless you--there's still hope for America." And I walked away, grateful that I found a young man who was energetic, hard-working, shouldering responsibility, and blessing others by filling a need. Long live Capitalism.