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“Change one thing, and everything changes.” – Anonymous.
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The Point of No Return is critical for any hero’s story. It is the pivotal moment where the protagonist finds himself in a dilemma—an event that prevents him from returning to his past life.
For Frodo Baggins, it was when he made contact with the Ring. For me, it was when I summoned the courage to say no to my boss.
I woke up that morning most miserable, with just enough time to put on my outfit and a hat to hide my messy hair, get in a school van, and monitor children.
As a school bus monitor, it is highly likely to be jerked around on different bus routes during the regular school year. But not for the summer. I signed a contract with my supervisors, guaranteeing I would be on a set run and schedule.
That’s why I was taken aback when I saw my driver visibly relieved that I was getting into the van.
“Oh, thank God, Nick, you’re with me today. N. kept on changing her mind. ‘Karen, I’m going to need your monitor! Actually, now I don’t. Wait! I’m going to need your monitor again. Never mind. I found someone else.’”
Since I was a boy, I’ve always enjoyed looking out the passenger window, dreaming about what could be. But today’s self-questioning and introspection kept me engaged during the idle moments of the job.
“What the hell am I doing here?” I muttered to myself. “No, seriously, Nicholas. What the hell are you doing here?”
My social circle knows me as Nick — the guy with a heart of gold who’ll do anything for anybody. I’m the “greatest movie producer, puppeteer, and friend of all time.”
But what about me?
When was the last time I did something for myself — for my career, my finances, my love life?
For Nicholas?
I returned back to the garage for the afternoon shift. N. called me from her office window.
“Nick, I’m going to need you to go with Kelly this afternoon. I’ve run out of monitors. It’s just one kid, an—.”
There were about twenty people in the break room when I stared at her, transforming into the Ring. She beckoned me as fire reflected off her shine.
“It’s time to go the distance,” a voice said. “It’s time to show the world who really are.”
Yet, nobody knew the true me. Nobody knew Nicholas. And I was just beginning to understand him myself.
But dammit, was he worth fighting for.
“Get comfortable with the uncomfortable,” the voice exhorted.
So, I walked up to her. Our eyes locked. And what happened then? Well, in Whoville, they say that Nicholas’ small heart grew three sizes that day. And then, the true meaning of Nicholas came through, and he found the strength of ten Nicholas’ plus two!
“No, N., I’m going with Karen.”
The Ring stood still.
“What?” she said. “What did you say?!”
“I am the hero of this story,” I affirmed to myself. “I am fighting for me. I am taking control of my narrative, and I am determined to confront the unknown.”
I paused. Took a deep breath.
“I am not going on that run, N.,” my voice steady and resolute.
“Well, that’s not how this works!” she asserted. “I can put you on any run that I want! You’re here for a paycheck, right?!”
“Yes,” I replied.
And this is just the first of many small deposits using change. Nicholas must move forward, and for the first time—in a long time—he feels alive!
“This is absolutely ridiculous!” she hollered. “Can you please just do the run?!”
I wouldn’t make the claim that I caved into my boss’s wishes. My coworkers encouraged me to ride with Kelly after N. yelled and slammed her door in my face. But throughout the whole experience, I was grateful. It taught me more than what a paycheck could provide. It gave me a profound sense of who I am.
“You have a voice,” I told myself. “What if you pursue writing? Conveying abstract thoughts with words is a powerful skill.”
I texted my writing professor, who runs the university’s news publication, saying there was something unprecedented that I wanted to speak with him about. We arranged a meeting at his office.
“I want to be a writer,” I told him. “And I want to work for you.”
He replied without hesitation.
“You’re hired. Welcome to The Impact.”
