When I woke up the next morning, Uncle Jake wasn’t in my room anymore. I didn’t know where he was. I walked downstairs. He was at the breakfast table with my mom.
“What’s up, sleepy?” he said. I rubbed my eyes. He was right; I was still sleepy.
“What have you been doing?” I asked.
“Well,” he replied, “I woke up, worked out, went for a run, took a shower, reviewed some reading that was recommended for college, and now I’m having breakfast with my sister.”
“You did all that this morning?”
“I sure did.”
“What time did you wake up?”
“Zero-dark-thirty,” Uncle Jake replied.
“What the heck is that?” I asked.
Uncle Jake smiled. “That means I get up early. Very early.”
I had no idea anyone could wake up that early. I have a hard time getting out of bed by seven to get ready for school. Uncle Jake must have gotten up around five!
“You and I need to talk today, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do,” I replied anxiously.
“All right, then. Finish your breakfast, and we’ll go for a walk.”
I scarfed down some food, threw on my clothes, and told Uncle Jake I was ready.
“You sure you’re ready?” he asked with a serious look on his face.
“I’m pretty sure,” I told him even though I felt nervous.
“All right, then,” he told me. “Let’s go.”
We headed out the door and down the street toward the park.
“So, Marc, what do you know about being a warrior?” Uncle Jake asked me as soon as we turned the first corner.
“I don’t think I know anything about being a warrior,” I told him.
“Okay. Well, then do you even know what a warrior is?”
“Yes. I mean I guess I know. A warrior is someone who fights in wars … right?”
“That is one part of it. But what else?”
“I’m not sure what else.”
“So do you think that the only way to be a warrior is to fight in wars? And do you think that anyone who fights in a war is a warrior?”
“I guess so,” I answered.
“Well, you guessed wrong. There is a lot more to being a warrior than just being in a war. Warriors are people that stand up for themselves. They face challenges. Warriors work hard to achieve goals. They have the discipline to overcome their weaknesses. Warriors are people that constantly try to test and improve themselves. And yes, war is the ultimate test, but not all warriors go to war.”
“But how can a kid be a warrior?” I asked. It just didn’t seem like a kid would be able to do all those things that Uncle Jake was talking about.
“By doing everything I just said. A normal kid doesn’t push himself—a Warrior Kid does. A normal kid doesn’t work constantly to improve himself—a Warrior Kid does. I look at all these problems you cried to me about yesterday. A Warrior Kid wouldn’t cry about those problems. A Warrior Kid would do something about those problems.”
“Do what?”
“Do what? Do whatever it takes. Every problem you have can be overcome. EVERY ONE OF THEM. You can’t do pull-ups? You work out and get stronger until you can. You don’t know your times tables? You study and train your mind until you know them cold. You can’t swim? You learn how. You get picked on? You learn to fight.”
“Fight?” I asked.
“Yes, fight. Just like anything else in the world, there are techniques to fighting—like learning a sport—and when you know the techniques and practice them, you can defend yourself from anyone.”
“You really think I could do all that?”
“I know you can. Like I told you last night, I had to transform myself when I got into the Navy. I had to get stronger. I had to learn to fight. I even had to learn to learn. But I did it. And if I did it, so can you. Do you want to? Do you want to overcome all these challenges you face?”
“Of course!” I shouted, feeling pretty fired up about everything Uncle Jake was telling me. “Who wouldn’t?”
Then Uncle Jake got really serious. Anything resembling a smile left his face. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “But let me tell you something. This will not be easy. This will be harder than anything you’ve ever done before. I will help you, but you are the one that has to do the work. You have to want the change. That has to come from you. Do you want to do this?”
I was a little nervous after what he just said, but the thought of overcoming so many problems was like an explosion in my head. “Yes, I do.”
“I need a commitment because I don’t want to waste my time on you. Do you promise?” Uncle Jake asked as he held out his hand for a shake.
I felt the most pressure I have ever felt in my life. I looked him in the eyes and said, “Yes. I promise.” We shook hands.
“We start tomorrow morning,” Uncle Jake said quietly.
We walked through the park and back to the house without saying another word.
Something had already changed.
