My Dream Is a Wish.

What a wonderful place for us to be in ... Orlando, Florida, the second home of Mickey Mouse and the dream of the world's greatest creative mind--and of the biggest kid the world has known, Walt Disney.

In this fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom and of make-believe that was created by the great visionary, Walt Disney, it's easy to return to our childhood and the joy of wish making. One of Walt Disney's greatest classics is the story of Cinderella, a rags-to-riches story.

Disney portrays the story of this beautiful, loving girl whose father remarries after Cinderella's mother dies. The woman he marries has 2 older daughters of her own. They would all have lived happily ever after had it not been for the fact that Cinderella's father becomes ill and dies.

It is then that the story truly begins to unfold. With Cinderella's father gone, the stepmother turns Cinderella into a servant, for herself and for Cinderella's 2 stepsisters.

The common theme that winds through the story is not of the daily tasks and chores that Cinderella must endure, but the hope and belief that are instilled in Cinderella through her dreams and wishes for the future.

I know that there is not a person here--no matter how young or old--who at some time in his or her life has not wished for a dream to come true! Many of us, in fact, have glanced into the midnight sky ... gazed upon a crystal, white star shimmering in the night, closed our eyes, and whispered, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight!"

I grew up with Walt Disney and his stories of dreams and wishes, fantasy and reality, good and evil ... so it's not surprising, as I look into the midnight sky at what the future holds for those of us in the profession of physical therapy, that my dream is a wish for our future!

My dream is a wish similar to that of Cinderella. It begins with a humble servant. A servant known as the profession of physical therapy. A servant that grew with the belief that others need care and it could serve that need, as a profession that began small and weak but that was envisioned as growing stronger with time. A profession that grew through the decades due to the commitment and dedication of people like you, who consistently serve others with high-quality minds, strong hands, and compassionate hearts.

Ours is a serving profession that became stronger and bolder as it won control of its educational standards. A profession that became stronger and bolder as it achieved licensure. A profession that became stronger and bolder as it secured ownership of accreditation.

We are very similar to the heroes and heroines in many of Disney's stories. We in physical therapy are the rags-to-riches fairy tale. We are the Aladdins, we are the Cinderellas, and we are the Lion King ... and, like these characters, we have triumphed over what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles and perils thrown at us during our history.

Over our 77 years, we have journeyed far, yet we have far to go. We have learned much, but we have much more to learn. We have fought valiantly, but we still have battles to engage in. But, most importantly, we are ready for what now lies ahead.

I read a story many years ago about a little girl who was critically ill and who had been chosen by a Make-A-Wish Foundation as one of their recipients. Her wish was to go to Disneyland to meet Walt Disney. She prepared for weeks in anticipation of her trip and meeting with Mr Disney.

Finally, the day came, and he left a message that he would meet her in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle by Snow White's Wishing Well. When she saw him, she was so excited she could hardly contain herself, and she ran right up to him. After formal introductions, she finally said to him, "I think you're the smartest man in the world, and I want to be like you when I grow up. How can I do that?"

Walt Disney replied with these words of wisdom: "There are four words which I have always used to guide me, and, when you grow up, remember them and live by them."

"The first word is THINK. Think about the values and principles that are important to you.

"The second word is BELIEVE. Believe in yourself and upon the thinking you have done.

"The third word is DREAM. Dream about what you want to become, based on your belief in yourself.

"And the last word is DARE. Dare to make your dream a reality."

Then, in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, by Snow White's Wishing Well, Walt Disney had her throw a coin into the well for each of the 4 words so that she would remember them: THINK--BELIEVE--DREAM--DARE.

We need to remember these 4 words as we wish for our future and the future of our profession. As I think about those words, my dream is a wish that will take us to new places. Places that we have never ventured to tread. Places that we believed only others were able to journey to. For, in our minds, we were not as worthy as others.

In our minds, we were not as valued, educated, and capable as those we placed above us. But those were images and obstacles that we had made. Villains that we had created for ourselves and believed we couldn't conquer ... and, therefore, we didn't even try. Villains that guarded the gates to places where we saw others venture but to which we would not travel ourselves.

We need to think. Think about the values and principles that are important to us. Our patients are important to us. They are the reason for our existence. Without them, we have no purpose. We need to continue to focus on them as we build upon our educational foundation.

We have now elevated ourselves to levels of doctoral preparation. And we have done so on our own, without being driven by others, because we know the clinical challenges before us and we desire to be clinical leaders of excellence! All of this for the betterment of the care and services we have to offer our patients.

Therefore, my dream is a wish that, in a few short years to come, future physical therapists will all bear the title "Doctor of Physical Therapy." A single degree, a single image, a single voice.

My dream is a wish that will allow us to believe in ourselves. To see us as stronger and bolder. Capable of attempting to battle our foes and then, upon conquering them, standing proud in our accomplishments while remaining humble in our victory. Believe....

Dr Helen Hislop in her 1975 Mary McMillan Lecture said, "There are outside forces which are working to retard our progress, even toward our destruction, but these external forces have little penetration power in themselves. It is our internal fragility, our laxness, that establishes our vulnerability...."[1(p1070)]

We have begun to believe in ourselves more than ever before, knowing that our minds and hearts are ready for the forces before us. We have fought our foes this year, and we have been victorious. Now, we must continue to stand tall in our convictions, knowing that our strength is our truth.

Margaret Thatcher once said, "If we only set out to be liked, we will be willing to compromise on anything at any time, and we will achieve nothing." Well, we are worthy and we must stand firm to protect what is ours ... and what has been entrusted to us by those who have gone before us. We must stand ready to fight when it is appropriate to do so, knowing we must choose our battles wisely, but once doing so, fighting to the end until victory is won!

Our history is testimony to our service and the integrity with which we serve our patients....

The mother whose child is suffering from cystic fibrosis, the young father who is dying of AIDS, or the elderly woman who is wracked with pain from her arthritis will all look to us to soothe their pain and lighten the burden they bear. And it is for them that we must go forward and chart our own destiny. Therefore, we need to dream, to dream of what we wish to become, based upon our belief in ourselves.

My dream is a wish that will propel us to heights we never thought we could reach. Heights where we will serve our patients as practitioners unparalleled by any others. Experts in the science of neuromusculoskeletal pathologies. Practitioners who will be sought out by those seeking the utmost in training and skill wrapped in the gentlest of caring and compassion. Those who will seek us out for the soothing of their soul as well as the healing of their body.

A dream is a wish, and I want us all to have a dream, not only for ourselves as individuals, but also for our profession. And we must dare to make that dream a reality.

My dream is a wish that will take us toward our next road, knowing that the best road is sometimes not the one most traveled. Therefore, we may have to forge our own road, taking with us the knowledge and wisdom and experience of those who have gone before us, but in doing so striking our own path.

To Think, to Believe, to Dream, and to Dare ... and the greatest of these is to dream!

There are many nights when I quietly go into my little girl's room just to watch her sleep and dream. I gaze at her, knowing that the gentle smile on her lips reflects the wondrous dreams she is having ... dreams of what the future holds for her someday.

Just as my daughter, Kara, has bold and daring dreams, we must have dreams. We are strong, we are adventurous, and we will succeed. We must think of our values, believe in ourselves, dare to be bold in our hearts, and always have a dream, knowing that a dream is a wish your heart makes.

References

[1] Hislop HJ. Tenth Mary McMillan Lecture: The not-so-impossible dream. Phys Ther. 1975;55:1069-1080.

[Richardson JK. The 1998 APTA Presidential Address: My dream is a wish. Phys Ther. 1998;78:1220-1223.]

JK Richardson, PT, PhD, OCS, is Chair and Professor of Physical Therapy and Director of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Duke University Medical Center, PO Box 3965, Erwin Rd, Durham, NC 27710.

Dr Richardson's Presidential Address was presented at the Opening Ceremonies of Physical Therapy '98: Scientific Meeting and Exposition of the American Physical Therapy Association, June 6, 1998, Orlando, Fla.