None of this would have been possible had Milo not passed through the phantom tollbooth. 2. I may not have entered a toy tollbooth into another land but many of my life experienced parallel Milo's. Like Milo, too, I have not undergone a singular transformation of character but have accumulated a series of life experiences that together contribute to changes of character. For instance, when I was in school I played sports and was talented enough to be one of the assistant captains. Because I was shy, however, I rarely emerged as a team leader until the day our captain fell ill with mononucleosis and would not be in school for three weeks. The coach surprised me in front of the whole team by naming me as the replacement captain. I assumed my teammates would be disappointed that the other assistant was passed up. What happened absolutely startled me: the whole team applauded. From that point on I felt like a new person. I was...

It was as if all I needed was for someone to believe in me. The experience of leadership was immensely rewarding and led to my being attracted to similar positions in the future.
That was not the only transformative experience in my life. Like Milo, I have become disenchanted and occasionally lost sight of the beauty in everyday life. One of the most striking moments for me in the Phantom Tollbooth was the meeting with Alec Bings. His unique perspective forced him to view life from one point-of-view his entire life. The visual metaphor is stunningly apt for modern life. While we seek escape in meaningless, mindless activities we forget to cultivate our creativity and passion, which can be used to help others and make the world a better place. Milo learned how to maximize the potential of his creative and analytical mind, and his story reminds me to do the same.