CHAPTER 25: LETTER TO UNCLE JAKE

Uncle Jake has been gone for about two weeks now. I miss having him around, but I am still staying on the warrior path even without him here. I wrote him this letter to thank him for everything he did for me.

Uncle Jake,

I hope you are having a good time at college. I can tell you I am having THE BEST time at school EVER. I have aced all my math tests. I did FOURTEEN pull-ups during the first test in gym class. The trip to Mount Tom was AMAZING. I can’t believe I couldn’t swim before! And finally, I stood up to Kenny Williamson—and when I did, he backed down. He no longer controls the jungle gym. ALL OF THIS is because of YOU. Thank you for showing me the Way of the Warrior Kid. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for everything you did for me. So I guess for now, I will just say thank you.

Also, you told me I should have my own Warrior Kid Code. Here it is:

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 to 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.  The Warrior Kid stays humble.

8.  The Warrior Kid works hard and always does his best.

9.  I am the Warrior Kid.

And that is it, Uncle Jake. That is my Warrior Kid Code. Let me know if there is anything I should add or take away. Or anything else I should do.

Just like the Navy SEALs have their Trident symbol and the Rangers have their Ranger Tab and the Marines have their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor symbol, I made up a symbol that means WARRIOR KID. It will always remind me who I am. Here it is.

One more thing that has happened since school started. Some of the other kids, especially ones that remember how pathetic I was last year, have been asking what I did to get stronger and smarter and tougher. I have told them about everything you taught me. I am teaching them how to work out and how to use flash cards and how to study and I have even shown them some basic jiu-jitsu moves. And they are listening to me. It is almost like I am the leader of the group. But don’t worry, I am staying humble. I’ll tell you more about that later.

Anyway. Again, thanks for everything, Uncle Jake. Thanks for making me stronger and faster and smarter and better. Thanks for taking me to jiu-jitsu so I won’t get picked on and so I can stick up for others. Thanks for turning me into a Warrior Kid.

With thanks, respect, and love,

Your nephew,

Marc

And that was it. I was lucky to have Uncle Jake. But not everyone has an Uncle Jake. I know that. I also know that it doesn’t really matter. Uncle Jake showed me the Way of the Warrior Kid, but the Way isn’t magic. There aren’t any tricks. You don’t need someone to lead you down the path. You can walk down the path by yourself: Wake up early. Exercise hard. Eat good food. Study. Train jiu-jitsu. The path to being a Warrior Kid is simple—but it is not easy. Sometimes it is hard to wake up early in the morning. Sometimes you won’t want to work out. Sometimes it is hard to go train jiu-jitsu. Sometimes you want to eat junk food! And in all those situations, that is when you have to use discipline to MAKE YOURSELF STAY ON THE PATH. In the long run, the path of discipline will set you free.…