I was raised in Gonzales, California, a small farming community a hundred or so miles south of San Fransico. At roughly four each morning, a two-and-a-half-ton converted army truck stopped a block from our rented home. My mother, two brothers, two sisters, and I, along with a group of migrant farm workers, boarded the truck and left for work in the fields. The day was spent topping garlic, bundling the carrots, or thinning sugar beets. The work was hard and the pay poor: Topping garlic paid 19 cents a box. Mucho trabajo y poco dinero.
When we arrived at the field, the pulled garlic was lying in very long rows on the dirt furrows. Our job was to trim the hairy roots and then cut off the tops. My mother would allow my brother, Don, and me to go home as soon as I filled 10 boxes, which took me until noon.
On our way home, we'd walk through the fields to the highway and thumb a ride back to town. A few ripe vegetables were always left in the fields after picking, so by the time Don and I reached the highway, we were toting a crate of broccoli or onions we'd gathered along the way. Once we arrived home, we would pile the vegetables into our homemade wagon and go door-to-door, selling these leftover vegtables to our neighbors. At that early age, I learned I could make more money selling than I could working in the fields.
When I was 11, my family moved to Salt Lake City, where I got a job selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door. At the age of 16, I accepted a job selling three-ply, stainless steel, waterless cookware. I learned the demonstration routine and gave it in my high-school sales class. The teacher was so impressed that she had me deliver the presentation to each of her six classes. She bought a set of cookware for herself; during that summer, her husband, a college graduate, started selling cookware under my tutelage. His success enlightened me to the fact that I could help others learn how to sell.
I also learned that summer that I didn't have to have a formal education to be successful. When you want to live the good life and your academic skills are not great, your options are limited. The best option for me would be to go into business for myself. When I told them about my plans, my mom and dad said I was a dreamer, which inspired me to write this poem:
Dream
Do a little dreaming,
Each and every day.
Reach for a distant star,
Though it seems so far away.
Your dreams become your goals,
Brought to action by a plan.
And your plan becomes achievable
the day you say, "I can."
So do a little dreaming,
Of what your future is to be.
A successful life you'll find
Is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
As a wish becomes reality,
It is time to wish anew,
So do a little dreaming,
And you'll have a dream come true.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the millions who suffer a loss of hearing. Communication with family and friends is the cornerstone for a happy and productive life. To assist people who are hearing-impaired in reaching these goals through effective amplification is the mission of the hearing healthcare provider. I hope my experiences assist hearing healthcare professionals in serving the needs of their patients in a caring manner.
