When I see these young girls who are dreaming the dream that I'm

The words of Sue Wicks shine with the warmth of legacy and fulfillment: “When I see these young girls who are dreaming the dream that I’m living, it’s very, very exciting and it puts a big smile on my face.” In this simple but radiant reflection, she captures the eternal rhythm of human achievement: that those who walk a path not only live for themselves, but also light the way for others. To see the next generation take hold of the same dream is to know that one’s life has not been in vain, but has become part of a greater chain of hope and triumph.

To dream is the beginning of all greatness. The child who gazes at the sky, the student who looks at books, the athlete who sees a champion and whispers, “One day, that will be me”—these are the seeds from which nations, movements, and histories are grown. Sue Wicks, herself a trailblazer in women’s basketball, recognizes this truth. She once looked upward toward her own heroes, and now she stands as the vision that young girls behold. Her smile is the smile of one who has lived to see the cycle complete: the dreamer has become the dream.

The ancients knew well the power of generational vision. Consider Alexander the Great, who looked to Achilles as his model. He carried Homer’s Iliad with him, sleeping with it beneath his pillow, seeking to live the dream of heroism he found in its pages. Later, his own deeds inspired countless others to imagine their own greatness. So too does Wicks live this tradition: she embodies the possibility that young girls, once denied the stage of glory, may now step into arenas and become legends themselves. The dream passes like fire from torch to torch, never extinguished, always burning anew.

What makes her words especially moving is the humility within them. She does not look upon the young dreamers with envy or fear that they may surpass her. Instead, she rejoices, her heart filled with excitement. This is the true spirit of legacy: to celebrate those who follow, to smile at their hunger and passion, and to know that one’s own struggles and sacrifices have made their path a little smoother. Wicks’ joy comes not from clinging to her own glory, but from watching it multiply in others.

History offers us another image in the life of Florence Nightingale. When she walked the dark halls of war hospitals with her lamp, she not only healed soldiers but also inspired generations of women to take up nursing. Her light was not only for her time, but for all who would follow. When Nightingale later saw schools and hospitals filled with women who had chosen that same noble path, surely she, too, must have worn a great smile. So it is with Wicks: the dream lived becomes the dream passed on.

The lesson for us is clear: whatever dream you live, do not live it for yourself alone. Live it so that others may see and be moved to pursue their own destiny. When you climb a mountain, leave behind steps for others. When you build a house, open its door to those who come after. And when you see the young begin to dream what you once only imagined, rejoice, for it means that your life has planted seeds that will outlast you.

Therefore, let us practice this wisdom in our lives. Encourage the young, whether they are children, students, or apprentices. When you see them dream, do not dismiss them but honor their vision, for within it lies the future. Let their smiles remind you of your own beginnings, and let your smile assure them that they are not alone. For the greatest joy is not only to achieve, but to witness the flowering of your dream in others.

Thus, Sue Wicks’ words become a timeless teaching: that the true victory is not in winning for oneself, but in opening the gates for others to follow. To see the dream you once held reflected in the eyes of the next generation is to taste immortality. And the smile it brings is the sign of a life that has not only been lived, but has given life to countless others.