The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

and encourages war veterans. At the time of this writing,
he’s getting ready to graduate high school and more than
anything would like a girlfriend.
After Eric e-mailed me with some news clippings of his
son’s story, I immediately picked up the phone and called
them. Speaking with both of them during Garrett’s lunch
break, I was struck by how positive they were and how
important perspective was in their story. Theirs wasn’t a
rags-to-riches tale or some super-spiritual experience. It was
inspiring but also quite practical. All they were doing was
trying to survive, making sense of life along the way, and
that was a story I could relate to.
I asked Garrett if he ever thought about what life would
have been like if he had never missed the tee that day, if he
had never gotten the brain tumor and hadn’t had to go
through sixty-four weeks of chemo.
“I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest,” he
admitted.
His dad said the same. “The reality,” Eric explained, “is
these are the cards we’ve been dealt, and we’ll just play
them the best we can.”
Eric Miller has always tried to steer his son in the
direction of what he can do, not what he can’t. And that
little lesson has led to some incredible experiences for both
of them. The gift that Garrett’s dad gave him wasn’t
protection from pain or suffering, as much as Eric would
have liked to provide such things. It was helping Garrett see
that what makes a life extraordinary aren’t the chances we