One participant’s
view
It was about one and one half
years, and another person ago, that I first set foot within
THE DOORWAY, cold and distraught. My friends, already clients
here, had brought me along with them. I was excited to
be accepted into the program. What more could a street
kid want than to get money handed to them. All we had to
do was fill out some forms, have a little chat, sign, shake
hands, done. Sweet and simple.
My first months of contracting were great.
I’d come at the beginning of the month, do all my contracts
in four successive days and not come back until the next.
What were they thinking? Did they really believe I was
going to put any effort into achieving those goals I made
up? Were they even aware at all that the contracts, to
me, were just paper and ink to be traded for more useful
paper and ink? With such an awesome gig as this I had to
keep coming back.
Time after time I wrote goal after goal.
“For money,” I thought, “for money.” Yet, somewhere in
between now and then things began to change. Perhaps the premise
for coming was monetary gain, but the eventual results
were much more substantial than anything tangible. True
or false as they were, seeing these goals over time and
in repetition emblazoned them subconsciously into my mind.
After a while, seemingly out of nowhere, I surprised myself,
and actually began to achieve some of these “lies” I had
committed to paper.
What was happening here? Had I been fooled,
or misled? I was supposed to be the one who fooled. I had
betrayed myself. Only this betrayal was wrought by me unto
my former self as a metamorphosis of sorts. Dependence
became independence, laziness was industry, and lies were
replaced by truth.
Hindsight shows me that THE DOORWAY
staff knew I might falsify my intentions, or put forth
little effort in their actualization. But they still achieved
their primary goal: to get me here and keep me coming back.
Once this was achieved, they knew the rest would (in most
cases, as in mine) fall into place with time. It worked
for me, and many others who have frequented the “Door.”
Where I would be right now, had I not
had the opportunity given to me by THE DOORWAY, I could
not truly say. Such circumstances likely would have been
bleak. What I can say, however, is that in an age where
people seek instant, meaningless gratification, THE DOORWAY acts as both path and guide for us street kids who
are lost, leading us slowly but steadily and surely towards
success that we can hold as our own.
By D. B., Participant of THE DOORWAY,
Jan 27, 2005 |
