Hi neighbor!
In the early 1960s, a pair of pudgy tween boys bonded over their mutual hatred of that special circle of hell known as middle school gym class. They loathed running the mile, but they loved to eat. One even got a job driving an ice cream truck over the summer, which came with a great perk: all-you-can-eat ice cream! He convinced his friend to sign up too, but his friend quit after a day.
After high school they went their separate ways but kept in touch. One finished college but was rejected from every medical school he applied to. He took a job as a lab tech and reapplied the following year but was turned down again. The other dropped out of Colgate College after a few semesters and held a series of odd jobs, including overnight custodian, taxi driver, kitchen assistant and racetrack guard. He eventually tried his hand at pottery, but it was slow going. Understandably, the boys’ parents were very concerned, even more so when the pair announced they had signed up for an ice cream-making correspondence course.
The friends—Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield—went on to found Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which they sold to Unilever for $326 million in 2000. Earning a big payout was never Ben and Jerry’s goal, however; they were more concerned with creating a friendly, socially conscious company that happened to make outstanding ice cream.
I thought of this story the other day when my middle daughter was bemoaning her lack of athletic skills and ho-hum test scores. She felt like everyone she knew was leapfrogging her while she plodded along at a snail’s pace. (Growing up on the Main Line is INTENSE, friends!).
Who knows what happened to all those kids who lapped Ben and Jerry on the middle school track? (Hopefully some got college scholarships!) Back then, Ben and Jerry probably felt embarrassed and defeated, but through trial and error, they found their way. Sure, it made them rich, but that’s not the point. It gave them purpose.
PS Here’s a great interview with Ben and Jerry if you’re interested!
Keep dreaming,
Kate
