As we ran up the hill, I thought I was going to collapse, but I just kept going.
When we finally got to the top of the hill and tagged the fence, I felt like I was going to die. I thought to myself, well, I have tried hard, but I just don’t have anything left.
"HALFWAY! Uncle Jake yelled. KEEP GOING!"
So I did. I took a big step, then another, then another.
As we approached the bottom of the hill at the corner, I thought the hard part of the run was over. But it wasn’t. The hill had drained me, and I felt like I needed to back off just a little bit.
But Uncle Jake didn’t back off at all. “KEEP GOING!” he barked. “COME ON!”
So I stepped it up again.
Then I realized something. Every time I thought I was done—every time I heard that little voice telling me to slow down, every time I thought I had nothing left, I was able to find my WILL and KEEP GOING.
And that is what I did. I KEPT GOING. I ignored my tired legs, I ignored the pain in my lungs and KEPT GOING.
Finally, I could see my driveway—the finish line. “Almost there,” Uncle Jake said. “Almost there. Finish strong!”
Now I was through the pain. The nagging little voice of weakness in my head was silent. I pushed as hard as I could—as hard as I had ever pushed myself in my life. Uncle Jake and I were in an all out sprint as we came across the finish line.
I took a few more steps, collapsed onto the driveway, shut my eyes, and took some giant breaths as I tried to settle down.
“Hey,” I heard Uncle Jake say. I opened my eyes and he was standing over me. “Five-fifty-three. You did it.”
“AAAhhhhh,” I groaned. Although I tried to say, “YES!” it didn’t quite come out that way. But it didn’t matter—Uncle Jake knew what I meant.
“Good work, Marc. That’s how you push yourself.”
“MMMmmmm,” I replied—trying to say thanks, but not being able to put the words together. Uncle Jake laughed.
After a few minutes, I got my breath back, stood up and gave Uncle Jake a high five.
“That’s what I’m talking about. You didn’t listen to that little voice of weakness. You used your will and you kept going.”
“I did, Uncle Jake.”
Uncle Jake stood there quietly for a few seconds before he said, “This isn’t just about running you know, right?”
I gave him a puzzled look, because I didn’t know what he meant.
“Marc, this is about life. This is about facing challenges. This is about EVERYTHING.
“Remember how hard you worked a few summers ago to be able to do ten pull-ups?” Uncle Jake asked.
“Of course I do,” I replied.
“You couldn’t do any pull-ups when the summer started, but we made a plan, and you worked hard, and you made it happen. And like I told you, you can do that with almost anything in life. Well, it’s the same thing here. You can always push yourself a little bit harder. If your will is strong, you can always dig a little deeper. Where there is a will, there is a way. Even if you can only move another foot—or another inch—you can always keep going. That’s your will, Marc. WILL. And if you have a strong will and apply that determination to everything you do, you will be able to accomplish almost any goal you can set for yourself. And the more you build your will by doing hard things, the stronger your will becomes. If you have a strong will—almost nothing can stop you.”
“Will is a powerful thing, Marc. A very powerful thing. Remember that, Marc. Always remember that,” Uncle Jake said.
I will, Uncle Jake,” I said.
As we walked up to the house, the sun wasn’t even up yet.
And I felt something. A new feeling. I felt more confident and stronger than I had ever felt before. I felt like I could overcome any challenge if I worked hard and set my mind to it.
I felt the power of my will. And it felt good.
chapter 23
A few days later, when I walked downstairs to go work out, I saw Uncle Jake’s bag packed up, sitting by the door. That is when it hit me: the summer was almost over and Uncle Jake was heading back to college.
I went out to the garage, and Uncle Jake was already there.
“Last workout with me for the summer,” he said with a smile.
“I can’t believe it is over already. Summer always goes by so fast.”
“Yes, it does. And life does the same thing,” Uncle Jake said quietly.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, so I asked, “What?”
“You’ll see, Marc. Life goes by quickly—like a summer day. It never seems that way when you are young, but when you get a little older, you’ll see. Life goes by fast. So don’t waste any time. You don’t get a second chance.” Uncle Jake stood for a minute looking at me with a serious face. Then he gave me a little smile and said, “Speaking of wasting time. Let’s stop wasting time and get this workout done!”
We did a hundred pull-ups, a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and a hundred squats. Then we went outside and ran a mile—but not too hard.
“You can’t push yourself to the maximum every day, Marc. You will over train and wear yourself out. Your performance will go down. So, you have to make sure you back off sometimes and let your body and mind recover. Okay?”
“Yes, Uncle Jake.”
“But that doesn’t mean sit around and do nothing— that’s not good either. Still move and stretch and do something everyday to keep yourself on track. To maintain the discipline. Understand?”
“I sure do, Uncle Jake,” I told him. “Discipline equals freedom.”
“It sure does.”
After we finished our run and ate a quick breakfast, it was time to take Uncle Jake to the airport.
My mom drove us to the airport, and we didn’t say much on the car ride there. But my mom did ask Uncle Jake what he was going to do when he finished college.
Uncle Jake explained that he was going to go back into the SEAL Teams, but this time as an officer, which meant he would be in more of a leadership position.
Of course, I was a little sad when we got to the airport, but it was okay. I knew Uncle Jake and I would talk on the phone and I would see him during Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
Uncle Jake got out of the car, and my mom and I got out to say goodbye.
“We’ll see you in a few months, Jake,” my mom said as she gave him a hug.
“Yes, you will,” he replied with a smile on his face, “and thanks for everything.”
“Thanks to you too,” she said as she looked over at me and nodded her head.
Uncle Jake held out his hand, and I gave him a good, hard handshake.
“Okay, Marc. I’ll see you when I see you,” he said with a smile. But then he got serious and said, “You’re doing good things right now. Remember to keep your ego in check. Don’t judge people. Keep digging deep, pushing yourself, and using the power of your will to keep going. Most of all, stay on The Path of being a Warrior Kid, okay?”
“I will, Uncle Jake,” I told him.
He picked up his bag and walked away.
My mom and I got back into the car and headed home.
“It’s always sad to see him go,” my mom said.
“He’ll be back,” I told her.
“Yes, he will,” she replied and smiled a quiet smile.
When we got home I walked up to my room and looked at my Warrior Kid code.
1. The Warrior Kid wakes up early in the morning.
2. The Warrior Kid studies to learn and gain knowledge and asks questions if he doesn’t understand.
3. The Warrior Kid trains hard, exercises, and eats right to be strong and fast and healthy.
4. The Warrior Kid trains to know how to fight so he can stand up to bullies and protect the weak.
5. The Warrior Kid treats people with respect and helps out other people whenever possible.
6. The Warrior Kid keeps things neat and is always prepared and ready for action.
7. T
he Warrior Kid stays humble and stays calm. Warrior Kids do not lose their tempers.
8. The Warrior Kid works hard, saves money, is frugal and doesn’t waste things, and always does his best.
9. I am the Warrior Kid and I am a leader.
I thought about how I had judged Danny when I first met him. He made me mad because he didn’t want to come over my house. I didn’t know that he had to take care of his brother Anthony. I judged him without knowing him. I had done the same thing last year with Nathan. I judged him as sloppy because his clothes were a mess. I didn’t know that his family didn’t have money for nice clothes. I needed to remember not to judge people. So I took my pen and changed number five of my Warrior Kid code to read:
5. The Warrior Kid treats people with respect, doesn’t judge them, and helps out other people whenever possible.
Then I thought about what Uncle Jake had taught me about my ego. I had let my ego get out of control with Danny. That was not good. I needed to remember that. I took my pen out and changed number seven of my Warrior Kid code to read:
7. The Warrior Kid stays humble, controls his ego, and stays calm. Warrior Kids do not lose their tempers.
When I was done, I decided to write a letter to Uncle Jake and send him my new Warrior Kid Code. This is what I wrote him:
I folded up the letter, put it in an envelope with a stamp and brought it outside to the mailbox at the end of the driveway.
After I put the letter in the mailbox, I looked down the street where I had run all summer. It seemed like only yesterday that summer had started, and now it was gone.
I thought about what Uncle Jake said about life going by fast, just like summer days. I guess that was what he was talking about.
“Don’t waste it,” I heard Uncle Jake say in my head. I won’t, I thought to myself.
I jogged back to the house, went to my room and started to get my things for school out. School was starting in a couple days and I wanted to be ready—ready for school and ready for life. Time goes by quickly and I didn’t want to waste it.
Then I thought about everything I had learned from Uncle Jake and I realized that every time I think I know a lot, he teaches me something new, every time I felt like like I was getting to the end of The Path, there is a little bit farther to go.
And I’m not sure if I will ever reach the end of The Path.
But I do know this: I am going to stay on it.
REMEMBER TO VISIT
WARRIORKID.COM
Where you can learn more about Marc, Uncle Jake and the entire Warrior Kid Series. Use the Ask Uncle Jake link on the site to submit your Warrior Kid-related questions. Uncle Jake just might feature yours on the Warrior Kid Podcast!
Way of the Warrior Kid 3: Where there's a Will... (A Novel) Page 10