Benjamin could Build.
He could build and he loved it. Everyone else knew it too. He’d always been using his building blocks and creating something and showing off his pieces; his beloved collections of fantasy rockets and towers. His family and friends knew. Yep, now he wants the whole island to know. He was originally fearful. He was fearful of his builds failing, of him failing to complete them.
Benjamin had built many imaginary rockets and towers, all of them towered and preserved in his room and even more stashed in a plastic-bin under his bed. He was committed, for he didn’t need any other distractions than that of his dependable building blocks and his creative imagination. Building was not encouraged during weekdays, at his house. Brick building was closely monitored. And never before homework. Oma would definitely not allow it. Homework then chores or no blocks that was final.
He dared not risk it. For he didn’t want to be without his precious bricks on week-ends. He had put too much effort into them, revising and perfecting the rockets and towers; there was no way he would spend a week-end without playing with them.
It was no different when he left for the Netherlands. He was introduced to a huge building blocks store in his neighbourhood and marveled at its content. It was only a couple of months later when he decided that he wanted to build 100 sets from the building blocks store. His mom thought he was joking and introduced him to the store manager who high-fived him and encouraged him on his journey.
It was only when he decided that he wanted to make a kid friendly video of himself creating one of the characters that his mom began to take notice. She helped him with the aesthetics, taught him what he didn’t already know about the camera, got him some minor equipment, and he was well on his way to creating his collection of 100 builds.
Before he knew it, Benjamin had amassed a library of 14 unboxing videos! And continues to gain knowledge along the journey toward that 100-build milestone. He even counts them down on his makeshift checklist which he uses to keep track of the completed.
Benjamin started slowly; carefully creating one design and then another. Pretty soon his cousins and uncles started watching his videos and cheering him on; He was proud and wanted to do more for them. So he set out to build some more sets from new building blocks this time, something was different. Benjamin wasn’t building just for himself, he was building for purpose. Now, he had a bigger goal, to build 100 sets by Christmas and involve the neighbourhood and his beloved island St. Maarten. And just like that, his fear was gone, and he was on his way.
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