When I was six, my neighbour told me a story about two boys who lived in a village.
Across the river was a tree with a fruit that couldn’t be found on their side of the river, and
they wanted it. But there was no available means to get there.
(At this point, I remember questioning him endlessly—how could a whole village have no way
to cross a river? Little me just couldn’t let that part go. Anyway, back to the story.)
Both boys dreamed of crossing the river, so every day, they
’d sit by the riverbank, talking
about how amazing it would be to stand on the other side.
One boy decided to start building a raft, even though he wasn’t sure how to do it. He’d collect
sticks, tie them together, and test his raft every evening. Sometimes, it broke apart, and he had
to start over.
The other boy? He sat and sketched plans for the perfect raft, always saying,
“I’ll start
”
tomorrow.
Months passed, and the boy who built his raft—imperfect as it was—set sail.
He wobbled, struggled, and got wet a few times, but he made it to the other side. The other
boy was still at the riverbank, perfecting his sketches, waiting for the right moment to start.
And legend has it, he never did.
This story, simple as it was, has stayed with me to this day. It was my neighbour’s way of
teaching me that the difference between success and regret often comes down to who starts
building, even when the conditions aren’t perfect.
I retell this story to you, dear reader, especially now as we step into 2025, to remind you that
it’s not enough to dream or make elaborate plans.
Dreams are a spark, and at the end /start of a new year, everyone feels that spark. But it’s
action, consistency, and persistence that truly carry us forward. So to all optometry students
and anyone reading this, life won’t wait for perfect plans or the “right time.
”
Whatever it is you want on the other side of the river, the only way to get there is to start
building your raft today.
It won’t be easy—there’ll be setbacks and mistakes—but every stick you tie together, every
effort you make, will bring you closer to success and that’s exactly what I want for you.
So, what will you do with your 2025?