Brick Ham grew up in a soldier-influenced home. His father was a Navy Seal, and his father's father was a Navy Seal. He joined the elite force at age 18, then, during BUDS, the waves and a log broke his leg. His father assured him he would return to complete the training in no time and sent him to the gym for an upper-body workout. He crutched to the bench press station, selected the weight, and laid down, closing his eyes to focus his mind on the accomplishment. He honed mind over matter his entire life, a soldier's sharpest tool. Fear was never on the menu, and the Special Forces proudly claimed the best of the best status in this diet. But then, he saw the log crashing with the surf down on his leg, and he recalled an article he read, daring to reveal Navy Seal suicides could no longer be overlooked. He felt no pain when his leg shattered. His team offered no emotion or sympathy as nothing upsetting had happened. "Get the cast off as soon as you can and get back here," they said, dusting off a minor setback.
Brick left the gym, crutched to his car, bought a large roll of butcher paper and colored markers at Walmart, and went home to tape the paper to his bedroom walls, shoving his bed and desk to the center of the room so he could easily navigate the perimeter. Upon entering, he drew a sign to the left of the doorway that said, Start Here. a stick figure and a Path. To the right of the doorway, he drew a…
