A Boy Named Sparky

Earl Nightingale, a radio speaker and author, once told a story about a boy named "Sparky".

For Sparky, school was all but impossible. In the eighth grade, he failed every subject. In high school, it was just as bad. He flunked Algebra, Latin, English and even in Physics earned a grade of zero, making him the worst Physics student in the school’s history!

He even tried going out for sports and managed to make the school’s golf team, but then ended up losing the only important match of the season. He even lost the consolation match.

Sparky was socially awkward and didn’t have any friends. He was so alone that he was surprised if anyone ever said hello to him outside of school. And there’s no telling how he would have done at dating. He so feared rejection that he never asked a girl out.

Everyone knew he was a loser, so he just rolled with the punches and decided to accept that if things were meant to work out for him, they would. Otherwise, he was content with his mediocrity.

But one thing that was very important to Sparky was drawing. He was proud of his work, even though no one else really appreciated it. In his senior year in high school, when he sent some cartoons to the editors of the yearbook, they were rejected. Regardless, he was still convinced of his artistic ability and pursued becoming a professional artist.

After graduating from high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney studio. They told him to send samples of his work and also suggested a subject for a cartoon. He spent a lot of time and energy on a lot of drawings. But when the reply from Disney Studios came, it said that he had been rejected again. Another loss for the loser.

So, Sparky wrote his own autobiography in cartoons. He talked about how he was a loser and an underachiever in his childhood. This particular cartoon character soon became famous all over the world. For Sparky, the boy who failed every subject in eighth grade and had his work rejected over and over again was Charles Schultz.

He made the Peanuts comics strip and a little cartoon boy named Charlie Brown, who couldn’t get his kite to fly and couldn’t kick a football. Millions have cheered for Charlie Brown and seen themselves in him. There’s a Lucy who will always steal that football in every neighborhood.

Nothing can replace perseverance. There’s a place for everyone who keeps going. We tend to live in a society where we can get what we want right away. We need to remember that it takes time to get good at something. It can be a process of trial and error, failing, and then failing again until we get it right. In the meantime, we need to stick with it and keep going.

Thanks for reading!

Isaiah 😊