James Nugent

The City of Olympia was glowing in the predawn light. I rapidly made my way to the center of the channel, avoiding the sand bars. Within a half hour, I was motoring through still water at the terminus of the bay. I stopped at the pier at Percival Landing and looked up at the statue. It was a cement looking statue of a couple kissing. I was 20' below street level and could hear cars occasionally going up the street. I was a little nervous to be here before dawn.

IntroductionI was watching a TV show concerning emergency preparedness and it mentioned that most people "freeze-up" during an emergency. Apparently when most people are overwhelmed by a situation; they "meltdown emotionally" and don't do the things they need to do, to ensure their safety or the people around them.

I took Karate and Kung Fu briefly in my younger years, but life distracted me far from the Martial Arts. I read about numerous styles of fighting but never set foot in a dojo for the next 38 years. I knew a lot of theory but had almost no practical experience except for a couple violent confrontations as a teen and a young adult. I wrote two small books about social conflict which I called "Social Jujitsu." They are available at Amazon.However, after my stroke (five years ago), I became mildly physically feeble, medically fragile and challenged by acute and chronic fatigue. The worst part for me was that I was not limber and had a poor sense of balance. I decided that I might be able to do 1 hour a week at a dojo (a martial arts gym). I also could do a few minutes a day at home.

I took Karate and Kung Fu briefly in my younger years, but life distracted me far from the Martial Arts. I read about numerous styles of fighting but never set foot in a dojo for the next 38 years. I knew a lot of theory but had almost no practical experience except for a couple violent confrontations as a teen and a young adult. I wrote two small books about social conflict which I called "Social Jujitsu." They are available at Amazon.However, after my stroke (five years ago), I became mildly physically feeble, medically fragile and challenged by acute and chronic fatigue. The worst part for me was that I was not limber and had a poor sense of balance. I decided that I might be able to do 1 hour a week at a dojo (a martial arts gym). I also could do a few minutes a day at home.

I invite you to read the following and take any good ideas and apply them to your life. It is the only life you get. Make it excellent and amazing.

Sent away during his adolescence to study with Catholic priests, Gus learns from an early age the difficulties of religious training and practice. More than that, Gus is thrust into dealing with the darker side of Catholicism, which will scar him for the rest of his life. But through his struggles, he is aided by his guardian angel, Jac, who serves as his conscience-and narrates his story. Rebelling against his forced enlistment in the junior seminary, Gus finds himself expelled. Once he's back at home, living with his parents and adjusting to life after the priests, he must find his new normal. Coping with nightmares from his past, the complexities of being a typical teen, and the realization that he might not be the only one in his family who has experienced trauma, Gus must find a way to find peace with the religion that has defined his life. This well-balanced morality tale expands the reach of religious fiction, inviting readers to journey with Jac and Gus as they explore the myriad perspectives on faith, relationships-and victimhood.