I read the note aloud to Tina:
Ray, here’s everything I’ve learned. Some of it from you, my friend. Yes, I even stand on your shoulders.
Every journey may begin with a single step. But the path is not set and each step is a choice. Don’t let the goal become more important than the step. Your goal will change. Your values will guide you, be true to them, but make choices at each fork that benefit others as much as yourself.
The meaning of the adventure will be based on the spirit with which you take these steps. A path of joy is a joyful life. A path of bitterness or longing will lead to a path full of brambles and thorns. But no matter your age or circumstance, you will always have your whole life ahead of you. Each day the journey begins anew.
The easiest way to be joyful is to bring joy. Your grandma lost sight of that at the end, but your mother is finding that path where your grandma left off, thanks to her gift to you all. The meaning of life is weighed at every root and stone. It is uphill, and downhill. The path does not care how long it is. It is the path.
Find your meaning by trying things and being attuned to what makes you happy. Set goals. Visualize them. Stay positive. Persevere—it takes time. Focus on your strengths and acknowledge, but do not dwell on, your weaknesses. Celebrate regularly. Every step.
The only missteps will come—and they will come—when you stop believing in your own meaning. When you will choose to see the negative, the failure, and compare yourself to others, often when you know very little about what you’re comparing yourself to.
It is your game. Your rules. Be sure to make it yours and give it your all. But like any good game, it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And it isn’t winner takes all. Because the prize is an illusion of your own creation—never forget that. While you’re playing, lift up everyone you can around you, even if they have disappointed you. The people you play the game with are as important as the game itself. You will need them as much as they need you. Let forgiveness into your heart; assume that everyone’s day was at least as difficult as your own.
Ray, people speak of the glass being half-full or half-empty. Wise people know two things. That the glass is always full and that glass, Ray, that glass is a beautiful glass.
Above the edge of the note, Tina’s eyes shimmer. Around the knot in my throat, I say, “Pretty sure I’ve seen this posted on Facebook.”
“Me too.” She laughs, and then smiles at me. “Doesn’t make it wrong.”
“No,” I agree. “Not wrong at all.”
Epilogue
A few years later Dalen comes to town and asks if I’ll join him on stage and tell my story. By this time, the camp has three parts: Grizzlies, run by my sister. My mom’s section, the Apple Pie Club, a camp for people who need it. And I operate Sunny Days, for jacks and everyone else. It now features a popular gaming trailer, and I offer a once a season excursion to Big’s peak—it’s not such a hard climb after all. Every year we host the largest truck and ATV charity rally in the area. Every year Obelix comes back to head it up. Our million-dollar camp’s worth more now. How much? Priceless, I guess. I don’t really care.
Uncle Jamie left. He needed a warehouse to ship all his fireworks from. Grandma’s ashes are spreading all over the world.
Tina and I broke up at the end of the first summer, but we’re still friends. She’s in university, studying to be a doctor. Salminder’s cancer’s in remission. He runs Swamiburger and uses the fortunes we made up with Penny on the wrappers. I’m a summertime big brother to Penny and that’s pretty awesome, too. When the teacher is ready, the student appears.
The crowd at Dalen’s talk is thin, but his energy is enough to light a stadium.
“I’m not going to talk to you about homeless turned millionaires.” Dalen begins his spiel, and Charlie adjusts the sound level. “Or billionaires who regained the love of their families. I could. But I won’t. What I want to do, is to tell you the story of an ordinary kid. A kid named Ray, who was given an extraordinary opportunity to find the meaning of life.”
There’s clapping as I climb onto the stage. Dalen grips me in a back-bending hug.
It’s funny, I’m really proud of myself. I run a happy camp. I’ve faced a grizzly. But as Dalen hands me the microphone, there’s still a little bit of barf in my throat.
I must be doing something right. I begin.
“Here’s what killed Grandma.”
Acknowledgements
The more I write, the more I acknowledge that my writing is a product of my reading, of heard podcasts, of listening to people, of working with and being a part of a community. It doesn't come from my imagination; it comes from the tinder of what goes into my imagination. I can't possibly thank everyone who has touched my life or even this book, but I want to express my gratitude in general for philosophers, gurus of all types, and intellectuals who pursue answers to some of life’s most challenging questions.
I do have a multitude of people without whom this book would not have happened. Thank you to Stephanie Parent, Joshua Johnson, Catherine Adams, Carrie Cuinn, Polgarus Studios, Jason & Marina Anderson, Glendon Haddix, Martin Stiff at Amazing15 for the cover, the Odyssey Writers Workshop, the Sunnyside Writers Group, and Gina Panettieri. I stand on all of your shoulders.
I dedicated this book to my elder daughters because I wrote it for them and was inspired to write it for them. Young adults face great societal and personal challenges. I don't pretend this book has answers, after all most of it comes from internet memes, but I do hope this story will help my daughters realize that their answers are waiting, whenever they are ready to search for them.
Finally, to my wife, my pillar and life. Thank you. If all we need is one person to believe in us, then I'm lucky indeed.
Thank you, dear Reader. May you all live with a little bit of vomit in your mouth.
If you enjoyed this book and would like to review it, please do, wherever you make purchases. There are no greater gifts to an author than reviews and word of mouth.
You can find me on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. I love to talk.
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About the Author
Michael is an award winning author who lives in Ottawa, Canada. His graphic novels, novels, and early readers have been published by Rubicon Publishing and distributed by Pearson Education, Scholastic, and Oxford University Press. To learn more about Michael and his projects, visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com.
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