Inventive – (of a person) having the ability to create or design new things or to think originally; (of a product, process, action, etc.) showing creativity or original thought.
When I think of George Washington Carver, I can’t help but think of the word inventive. Born into slavery, Mr. Carver becomes an inventor and botanist. Proof that it may be hard to rise above your circumstances, but it is not impossible.
Without an actual lab, Carver began collecting old pots and pans and spoons from a local junkyard to use for his laboratory, being credited with bringing science to the Tuskegee Institute.
Needless to say, anyone who can develop a lab from junkyard materials can be one of the most inventive people in our history. In addition to developing a version of peanut butter, Mr. Carver went on to develop approximately 300 products made from peanuts; these included: flour, paste, insulation, paper, wall board, wood stains, soap, shaving cream and skin lotion.
I am challenged to beat the odds. I am challenged to have a vision. I am challenged to create. Today, I am challenged to be inventive.
“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”- George Washington Carver