I remember having an alley as a kid. I taught myself to ride a bike in an alley. My friends and I got into plenty of mischief in an alley. An alley was like a dark alternate universe that was worth exploring. Entering another alley on a different block felt as if we needed a passport. All different types of trash cans, dogs and vehicles of all kinds. What was in those cans was even different for what is in the cans on our block.

Where I live now we don’t have an alley. The only place around here that I have seen alleys is in the city.

As I walked back and forth from the conference I came across this alley. It capture my imagination immediately. 

I stood gazing for a long while and as I turned around to leave I froze. At my feet was the word top. I know it was missing the s but it still hit me.

At the conference I was introduced to a really interesting idea about a makerspace for high school, which is a concept that I have really been struggling with. This sign in the alley connected me back to an article, or maybe it was a TED talk, about faking it until you make it. It connected me to the mindset books, and to me those books and the video were all about believing in yourself.

Sometimes I get full of doubt, that creeping feeling that maybe my ideas are not good enough, won’t make sense or are too disconnected. This small sign reminded me to go for it, that my idea is worth pursuing. If it was left in my head it would reside there and never have the chance to blossom.

While this idea might not be the top, it will be a step to get us there. The journey is always messy. Any worthwhile adventure is never easy. The rewards along the way on the difficult journeys are always much sweeter.

Message received. Go for the top.