Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Alex threw it. “You’re not that great of an uncle.”
Levi caught the ball, but then froze. My heart clenched.
He blinked, looking like he was trying to figure out a response.
“How come you never came to visit me in New York?” Alex asked.
Levi was silent for a bit. “I don’t have a good answer for that. Adults sometimes get too wrapped up in their own lives and forget what’s important. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for me to come visit. Hopefully we can make up for some lost time while I’m here, though.” Levi walked over, knelt down, and ruffled Alex’s hair. “Seriously. I’m sorry I’ve been a crappy uncle.”
“You’re a cruncle.”
“What’s that?” Levi squinted.
“Crappy uncle—cruncle.” Alex laughed. “Actually, you’re a better cruncle than you are a quarterback.”
Levi flashed a rare, genuine smile, seeming amused at the little ball-buster his brother’s son had become. “Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome, Uncle Levi.”
***
Late that night, when I caught myself ruminating about whether I was right to fight Levi on selling The Palm Inn, I decided I needed a reminder of why I’d come back to Beaufort in the first place. So I took out the letter I’d written to myself years ago. I’d penned it right around the time I’d moved away to attend college at Syracuse with Tanner. At the time, I’d had no clue just how messed up things would get between us, or with my life, in general. I’d always kept the letter tucked inside an old book in the hopes that I’d find it at just the right time. It had come in handy a lot since finding out Thatcher had left Alex half of The Palm Inn. When I was considering whether to move home, I’d referred to the letter several times.
The thick, stiff paper crinkled as I unfolded it. Sitting back on the bed, I let the gentle night breeze coming in through the window comfort me.
Dear future self,
I sure hope you haven't screwed up your life. Because as of right now, as a high school senior, it's really great. You have no reason to have gone and messed it up. Maybe you haven’t—maybe you’re extremely successful. If that’s the case, this might be an even better opportunity to remind you of some things you might have forgotten over the years.
No amount of success in the world is worth forgetting what's really important. So, either you’re doing really well and need to hear this, or you’re in a bad place and need to hear it. Either way, you NEED to hear this.
Where is this all coming from? Well, from Mamaw, if you recall. You just had a long conversation with her out on the porch. And something told you that you needed to write it all down so you’d never forget any of the things she talked about tonight, because she might not be around by the time you read this. God, I can’t even fathom that. Anyway, I've documented everything for you here in this letter. So, here are all of the things Mamaw wants you to remember about life:
Be the type of woman who gives up your seat on the bus for someone who needs it. Even though this should be obvious, don't get so wrapped up in your own head that you don’t notice when someone needs a seat. That’s just one example. Bottom line, don’t be self-absorbed.
Next thing is that there's no such thing as not having time for the people you care about. You can always make time. Any excuse is bullcrap. Someday when you're old and gray, it's not gonna matter how much you worked or how much money you have. All you'll have left are the memories you made time for.
Remember, if you're not where you think you should be in life, it's never too late to change. But you don't need to be successful to be happy, because happiness IS success.
Find your purpose. It doesn't have to be anything grand. Even the man who shines shoes on the corner has a purpose. People walk away from him with an extra pep in their step, with an air of confidence they didn't have before. Maybe that person went on to ask out the future love of their life that day or took a job that would start their career. All because of that shoe shine.
That said, shine shoes or clean floors for a living if you have to—just don’t become dependent on a man. Always work hard so you can support yourself and never have to rely on anyone.
Don't go to bed angry. Because you might not wake up. And that would just suck.
Pick up your trash. Because who are you to pollute the Earth?
In summary, be nice to others, work hard, but also recognize that money and success aren’t anything if ya ain’t happy.