Once upon a time a boy met a young woman. That chance encounter changed everything in his life. Her name was Miss Kyle. Joel met Miss Kyle when he was seven. History Teacher is the title the school gave her. Joel learned so much more than history. Miss Kyle shared with him the ultimate secret or wisdom regarding dreams, hope, and living the richest life one could possibly imagine.

One day at the end of a test that Joel had trouble completing, Miss Kyle crouched down, smiled and gave him what appeared to be an old tattered, pale, yellow diary or journal.

“You have so much promise and potential Joel, but you’re distracted by focusing on all the wrong things and getting too caught up with them.”

The young boy was even more baffled. How much more complicated and tough can life be and I’m only seven, he thought to himself.

“I once sat in your shoes,” she said. “And not only as a seven-year-old sitting in a boring and challenging history class.” He cracked a hint of a smug smile. She continued. “Throughout my life I dreamed of who and what I wanted to be, working so hard to become that. The paths adults established for me seemed strange. I felt bad when I failed a test, just like you right now. I hurt when I didn’t understand something. I cried when I didn’t fit in. I felt shame and anger when others were succeeding and living a better life than me while I felt I was going backwards.“

Joel wondered what this all had to do with The Great Plague in Europe and Amerigo Vespucci… the test. He couldn’t remember when and where Amerigas was born… crap; I’m going to fail. He tapped his pencil on his paper more frantically.

His teacher tapped him on the shoulder. “This test will not define your life.” She then invited him to read and keep the shabby journal.

He opened the weathered diary that night. To his amazement, the words made total sense except one word that he had to look up on his device. When he turned the last page and read the last word, he smiled. He sighed. He felt so full and complete. He couldn’t believe how simple and incredible life would be from here on out.

“Good morning, Miss Kyle!” Class began.

The school day ended. Joel walked up to his teacher’s desk. With a shy, yet confident demeanor, he thanked her.

“Well, what did you think?”

“I loved it.” He handed her back the journal. “It’s kinda like magic dust and potions. Harry Potter’s got nothing on you, Miss Kyle.”

She told him he could keep it… but on one condition. That he would one day share it with people he would meet who deserved and needed to be set free to live the richest life they possibly could.

“How will I know who those people are?” He asked.

“You’ll know. It’s called intuition.”

Joel didn’t know what that word meant.

Before leaving class that day, he asked, “Who wrote the diary?” Miss Kyle said that she didn’t know. She had found it in an old shoebox in her grandfathers’ attic after he died. There was a small envelope with a short note and lots of dust in the shoebox. Emma Kyle was on the note in beautiful elegant cursive. Joel didn’t know her first name was Emma.

“My grandpa’s grandpa got it from a total stranger during his travels across endless continents in the merchant navy. Story has it that the book is over seven hundred years old.”

Now that’s the kinda history I like! #awesome

Twenty years later, Joel was going through a tough time in life. He’d forgotten the lessons learned from his history teacher. Well, what do you know? Out of nowhere he found the diary and read it again.

Page one read in very faded writing. Welcome to your masterpiece of a life.

He turned the page. There are three simple life rules.

The first rule was to be authentic. The simplest way to live is to be YOU without concern for the thoughts of others. Authenticity was the word he had to look up as a seven year old. Authenticity will always keep you on the right path. It means you are aligned with the universe and following YOUR north star.

The next page read…

Your Curiosity will open doors and create paths to more wisdom than you can possibly imagine. Curiosity is more valuable than formal education…. Standard education only provides a base from which to fly. Beware because education can imprison you.

Joel couldn’t wait to read the next page.

Breathe deeply whenever facing doubt, challenge, fear, anger or other such emotions. All will be well when you experience those emotions and allow them to pass through you with the help of Enhanced Breathing. He had long forgotten to implement the power of Enhanced Breathing. Some call it intentional breathing.

Joel closed his eyes and took three deep enhanced breaths. He smiled and said thank you, Miss Kyle.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine