20 Ways to Change Your Life

Jordan made a face as he sipped his blackberry ginger kombucha. He missed coffee terribly, but his stomach could no longer handle it like it used to. That was the story of his life lately. There was so much he couldn’t stomach anymore, literally and figuratively. He was getting old, and wondered if 48 was too late for a midlife crisis. It certainly felt too late.

After his ritual groan and stretch, Jordan reached out, started his car, then signed into the Lyft app. He could get in a few hours of driving people around before his job in the Amazon warehouse began. The extra money was nice, and he could certainly use it. Why was everything so expensive!? He wondered if it would be worth it to find a significant other, just for the extra income. The thought made him laugh as he accepted his first fare of the day.

Three fares, Jordan pulled into the immense Amazon parking lot. He allowed himself another groan as he put the car in park. He was a little early, and he liked it that way. It was a perfect time to meditate, if that’s what you call sitting in a car and staring at nothing so long your eyes get blurry and you forget to think.

Before he could get to the full state of non-being, Jordan was distracted by a flash from the back seat. He adjusted the mirror, and saw a small black notebook with a patch of silver attached to the front. The metal had reflected the small fleck of sun that escaped from the massive structure looming above. There was some poetry to that; and Jordan was always on the lookout for hidden verses in his narrative.

A few grunts later and Jordan had the notebook in his hand. Someone important must be looking for this, he thought, considering it was leather and had a rather lovely rectangular pen attached smartly to the front of it. He had used these same notebooks most of his life to write down ideas and thoughts. It made him think of his own, sitting on his bedside table, covered in dust. How long had it been since he wrote down anything, either positive or negative. It had to have been at least three years…one of the many things he now felt too old for.

He flicked the elastic off the cover and opened it to the first page, hoping that the owner had written his name and contact information so he could return it. Where he expected to find the phrase ‘In case of loss, please return to’ followed by contact information, Jordan was surprised to see the words ‘This journal is not lost’ in bold letters across the top. Confused, but intrigued, he continued reading:

This journal is not lost:

If you have found this book, you have been granted 20 days to spend $20,000. The pen attached is a smart pen, which will send anything you write to our computers. Simply put your name and phone number on a blank page, and write down how you would like to spend the money. We will transfer the money in any way you see fit with one exception: we will not simply give you the money. You must write down exactly how it will be spent. At the end of 20 days, we ask that you pass the journal on to another person you find deserving. Please, do not forget to charge the pen, or we can not continue to provide you and others with money.

Enjoy!

Jordan was flummoxed. TWENTY THOUSAND FREAKING DOLLARS!? That was just under a years income for him! It was simply too good to be true. This had to be a scam, this generations ‘Saudi Prince’ scheme. Regardless, there was no time to think about it. Work waits for no man, even a man with a mystery literally in his hands.

He started the 5 minute trudge towards the building. 10 hours of repetitive work would give him time to muse over the situation properly. Scam or no, he was excited to have something different to dream about.

One needlessly long shift and a jaunt later, Jordan was back in his car. The little black book was still there, still frustratingly real. He had thought of many ways he could spend the money: a new car, a vacation, down payment on a house, blow it all on one big party, start a business, and even donating it all to different humanitarian organizations, both local and global. How amazing would this be if it wasn’t a capitalist trick!?

He decided to take a look and see if anyone had taken the bait and written down what they wanted. It was not too surprising to see more than half the book taken over with various requests. He leafed through, too curious to stop himself from seeing what these strangers had requested with their possible $20,000. Most of it was unsurprising, and had reflected the ideas he had dreamed up while at work. There were some kind people who donated all of it to one charity or another. One person requested all her friends bills paid. Lots of people wrote that they would like to start a retirement fund for their parents, or somehow help them out. In stark contrast, one person wanted a helicopter! Jordan had always assumed they would be much, much more expensive than that.

He wondered how many of them were happy with their choices.

When Jordan finally arrived home, he brought the book upstairs with him. He made himself a modest dinner, then stared at a blank page in the journal. It seemed like such a waste to at least not try, he thought. If it turns out to be a trick, and my identity is stolen…what exactly would they get? He had nothing really to lose. His credit was tanked from school loans he accrued while earning his completely useless degree, and he had no savings to speak of. No, there was really nothing he was risking by trying.

What to write was the real question. Too many options, and not enough to fund them all! He thought again of savings. His parents had always stressed the need for savings, and he had seen the benefits of their scrimping. Whenever something broke down, or there was an unexpected expense, his mother always seemed to pull money out her sleeve like some kind of magician with her plastic flower bouquet. She was a genius with finances, he always wished she could have pursued a career in the financial world. She would have been absolutely brilliant. She could have been so many things…but illness doesn’t take that in to consideration. He missed her.

Jordan wondered what she would say if she were here. What was she always saying about winning the lottery? A 3-point-plan! That was it! She would spend 1/3 on fun things, 1/3 on saving or investing, and 1/3 on donating. That was…actually a great idea. He pulled out his phone and did a quick calculation, giggling a little at the answer of $6,666.66-. That would help him spread out his money in a logical, fair manner.

Fun money came first. He would very much like a proper vacation. He hadn’t been anywhere since he was in college! Nor had he spent any time with his two sisters in a while, so maybe he could pay for them as well. They had always spoken of spending a week on the coast somewhere warm when they were children, and it would be great to reconnect and have something new to talk about with them. It was decided: he would spend $5,000 on that.

Jordan balked at the number; that was a lot of money! It would be worth it, though.

He looked around at his apartment and decided a trip to Ross or TJ Maxx was in order. His wardrobe and furnishings could use a little sprucing. $500 to that!

A nice dinner out with his friends would be great, too. He could treat them to whatever they wanted! An estimated $100 per person, plus drinks and tip… $750? Could he REALLY spend $750 on FOOD for just ONE NIGHT!? Yes, yes he could. Just once.

That left $416.66. He would spend it on a new game system and some games to go with it. He missed playing video games. How long had it been? How many times could he ask himself that same question? It has been like he hadn’t been present in his own life for decades, just working and surviving…but not living. He hoped this would kick start his life again. Here was the means for a honest-to-goodness midlife crisis! Hooray!

This was getting exciting! Jordan hoped it was real.

Next was saving or investing. He doubted he could put down just ‘savings account’. Maybe a CD would work? Especially if he put down a purpose. It was worth a shot, right?

Then he remembered a conversation with a close friend a few months back. They had made imaginary plans to open a small café that caters to people with dietary restrictions. They both remembered trying to take their sick and dying parents out for a meal to lift their spirits, and how long it took to research menus and call regarding ingredients. It was an absolute nightmare! Investing in that earnestly would be absolutely amazing! With his buddies skills as a cook and nutritionist, and his skills with finance and business, they might actually make a run of it! $6,666 wasn’t a lot, but it may be enough to start up a food truck business and drive to different medical centers. He would have to talk to his friend and see if he would be willing to do this.

Finally, donation. There were just too many people in need. Too many places that were desperate for funds. Maybe if he had 6 million he could make a real difference…but he didn’t have that kind of cheddar. With just $6,666, he would probably have to stay local. That narrowed it down a little, but not much. Jordan just cared too much about too many things; everyone said so. He never thought that was a problem until right this minute. This would take some thought.

He spent the next week thinking, counting down the days, getting more stressed with each passing minute. The only highlight to the week was running the numbers with his nutritionist buddy and coming up with a solid plan. The food truck was a go! They would have to get a small loan to cover the extra costs, but they were confident they could succeed. They made an appointment at their bank for the following week, and he was beside himself with nervous excitement.

Aside from this good news, the decision on what organization to donate the money to haunted him. So many sleepless nights were spent researching and considering his options. He was taking a much needed break at a bar with his affectionately named ‘gaggle of gals’, a group of 4 ladies he met and studied with in college. It was fun to be out again in the world, chatting about everything and nothing. The sheer amount of information he obtained regarding female biology in the past couple of decades would make any sex-ed teacher blush! He loved it, though, everything about it. Whoever says guys and girls can’t be just friends is an absolute moron!

After a few rounds, one of the gals pipes in with some advice in the form of a story. She told us all about how she was adopted when she was 7. Her mom had a lot of trouble with drugs, and her father was dead. She was in the foster care system with her brother at 5 years old. He was 3. They were, sadly, both adopted separately. She spent a lot of time searching for him, and was sad to find that he did not have the wonderful experience with adoption she had. He was depressed, and using drugs. She gathered that he had been severely abused. It broke her heart. She tried to get him help, but he had eventually succumbed to his mother’s genes and had died a few years ago.

We were all silent for a long time, all of us holding her hand for comfort. She finally broke the ice by saying ‘anyway, the point is that if you really wanted to help some people, you can start young and help them before they become broken adults. Save a couple of kids like us. Maybe that’s selfish of me…but I often think of the thousands of children like my brother out there, suffering, with no one to love them. I would adopt some children in a second if I thought I could afford it, but I don’t have a steady income. This blasted economy!’

I thought about what she said for a few days. $6,000+ dollars wasn’t enough to support and raise a couple of kids, was it? Would I even be able to take care of them? Heck, would the agencies even CONSIDER me, a single man?

It was true, Jordan had always wanted children. He felt as though he had a great deal of love to give. He had just never found the right person to settle down with. Getting married just for kids was a bad idea, though. Maybe he would have to scrap the whole thing.

It hit him like a freight train: HIS FRIEND! He would give his adopted friend the money to adopt her own children, AND a job at the new food truck! It was perfect! He would help her out with whatever finances she would need to raise any kid she wanted, and help babysit to boot. He knew the gals would agree, but sent them quick texts just in case.

No surprise to him, they were all enthusiastically in! The 6 or them were having kids together! So much was riding on this bank appointment now…

Jordan had yet to write anything in the journal. He was afraid to commit anything to paper until he knew for sure.

4 knuckle-clenching days later, Jordan and his hopeful business partner waited at the bank to be seen. What followed was a veritable whirlwind of pitches, papers, and platitudes. In the end, they had succeeded! The business loan was theirs! They began the process of buying supplies and trucks immediately.

One small “problem”, however. The bank had been so impressed by their business plan that they had actually provided more money than they would need to start up a proper business, even with the anticipated red months where they would have trouble making ends meet. What would they do with the journal money now?

He decided to put it to a vote with his friends-turned family. He picked up the journal, and the rather clever pen with a small camera near the point, wrote down his name, phone number, and $750 for a nice dinner at their favorite local bistro. He received a text 5 minutes later with information on how to call in for a reservation with a code the mysterious funders provided. He made the date for the next available time- 4 days from now.

He was running out of time. He would only have 2 days following the meal to make the final decisions.

With absolutely no recollection of what happened after the reservations were made, he and his 5 friends were all sitting and enjoying their various epicurean delights. An intense conversation of fevered intensity added spice to their meals. His gals, especially his new employee, were having trouble holding back tears. Heck, even we men were, who was he trying to kid!?

They had a solid plan. All 6 of them, plus the new kids, plus their remaining family members, around 20 people in total, would rent a large cabin and spend a week by the sea together. Of course, this would have to be later, after the adoption, but he could easily ask to prepay for the vacation to start a year from today. Something to look forward to. The hopeful mother would receive $8,333 to prepare for her children, plus financial help from everyone else.

They all looked on as Jordan wrote the final decisions in the mysterious black book. They all waited together for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, a serious of happy dings sounded from his phone. IT WAS ALL ACCEPTED. The last text even gave the name of a group home with an attached letter of recommendation.

He woke the next morning feeling alive and hopeful for the first time in his adult life. Walking down to the car, he stopped to enjoy the smell of the local coffee shop as he usually did, only this time he decided to throw caution to the wind and indulge himself. He ordered his triple dirty chai, and sat down to enjoy it. He could skip the driving, just for today.

On his way out he saw a lady sitting with an empty baby stroller. She had clearly been crying. He thought back and realized that he had overheard some of her conversation. The father of her baby, it seems, has refused her visitation, and not for the first time. He smiled, and slipped the journal into the bag hanging on her chair. His stomach handled the coffee just fine that day.

Jordan doubted if any previous owners of this book were as happy as the 6 of them were. A few months later, their grouping became a pleasant 9. Their unconventional family was complete.

A year after the journal graced them, they all met at the coast. Jordan brought his dust-free journal with him, and it soon became as full as his life.