Carew Papritz on Legacy, Gratitude, and the Power of Handwritten Letters in True Crime Stories

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Welcome to True Crime,

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Authors and Extraordinary People,

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the podcast where we bring two passions together.

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The show that gives new meaning to the old adage,

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truth is stranger than fiction.

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And reminding you that there is an extraordinary person in all of us.

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Here is your host,

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David McClam.

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What's going on everybody and welcome to another episode of True Crime,

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Authors and Extraordinary People.

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Of course,

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I'm your man,

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David McClam.

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If you guys haven't already.

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Make sure you follow us on all of our social media.

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One link to a link tree gets you every place you need to go pertaining to the show.

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All right.

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As always,

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as you heard coming in,

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if you or you know someone who is in trouble and you feel like hurting yourself,

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please dial 988.

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You can call or text that.

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Nothing is worth your life.

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And if no one has told you this today,

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let me be the first to say

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I do need you here and I care.

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All right,

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so if you're looking at your calendars,

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you know it is once again time for another author,

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and I have a great one for you today.

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Let me tell you who our guest is.

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He is the award-winning author of the best-selling inspirational book,

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The Legacy Letters.

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Through his innovative literacy efforts to inspire kids to read,

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he has created the love I love to read and first-ever book sightings through his KarooTube video series.

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He is also the creator of National Thank You Letter Day.

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and the world's largest thank you letter receiving a Guinness World Record for the project.

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As an educational thought leader,

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he continues in his personal passion to teach people of all ages about personal and global legacy issues.

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He is a literacy advocate,

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inspirational thought leader,

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and author of the legacy letters,

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His Wife,

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His Children,

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His Final Gift.

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Please welcome author

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Karu Papritz.

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Did I say that right?

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You got it.

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All right.

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Good enough.

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Good enough,

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Dan.

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we're rolling in thank you for having me on your show thank you karu it is my honor and pleasure to have you here i guess the first question i ask all my guests is this is there anything else that we should know about karu that we didn't cover in the interview or cover that introduction no that was pretty that was pretty fulsome uh

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i think we'll discover the rest of it throughout the interview but that was a heck of a lead up i don't know i've got a now i've got to match it shoot

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So I guess my first question is,

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I've never talked to him before.

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What is it like to hold a Guinness World Record?

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It's funny.

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It's a it's a heady thing.

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And then,

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you know,

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you sort of bring it out in casual.

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Well,

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you don't bring it out in casual conversation,

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but someone will ask,

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you know,

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oh,

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what did you do this world's giant letter?

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And then you bring it out and you got a Guinness World Record for that.

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And

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I still think it's.

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I sort of pinched myself from time to time because it's a real world record.

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You know,

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I wasn't bobbling tiddlywinks on the end of my nose while running down a country road for a mile and got the Guinness record for that.

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But it's a gigantic piece of thing on the planet.

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And so I think in that respect,

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the record itself is equal to.

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the large letter that we created.

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So it's pretty cool.

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Now,

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a lot of your work is writing for children.

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And a lot of people don't do that or think that that's very important anymore.

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Can you tell us what the importance of reading and writing for youth is?

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Oh my gosh,

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yeah.

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It's everything.

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I think for those of us that just,

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that love books and were raised around books and understanding that it's,

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and probably most importantly,

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David,

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is

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the love of reading.

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I think,

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especially nowadays,

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it's more,

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you know,

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we can pontificate,

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well,

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we got to get our kids to read.

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I go,

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yeah,

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but you got to walk your talk.

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You got to read in front of your kids.

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You got to read to your kids.

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You got to have some books in the house.

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I mean,

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does reading count on a Kindle?

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Yeah,

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maybe.

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Yes,

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no.

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But it's the physical book itself.

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And that's the extraordinary part about books.

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They're literally

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the first social media,

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they're the first Kindle.

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I mean,

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this is how people carry around knowledge in this compact thing and people can hold it in their hands.

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It's very human-sized and it's very accessible in that way.

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And to access the knowledge in them and the curiosity it creates and the imagination it brings about,

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it's extraordinary.

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So I don't just write for kids,

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I write for adults too,

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but in the process,

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I try to get.

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kids excited about it.

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And I've come up with some,

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what I think are some unique ways to sort of trick kids into getting excited about reading.

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Well,

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the first thing I'll say is my wife would love you because the fact that she's all into no change.

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So when you had to get rid of CD decks in the car,

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she had to fit in books.

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I have like 14 racks of books around here.

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And at one point I said,

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I read so many books.

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I really need to go digital.

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She goes,

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no,

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it's all about the hardbound books,

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the soft covers,

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not going to get it.

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So she keeps buying me these books.

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Good.

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I can't wait to meet your wife.

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I'm like,

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I read so many books.

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I got to have these accessible.

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But she would love you for that.

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I do agree with you when it comes to literacy for the youth.

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I try to make it every summer in my house that we take at least a month where we turn every screen off and we do nothing but read for so many hours a day.

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Oh,

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nice.

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I like to hear that.

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So this is one reason why I started this podcast,

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too,

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because there's a lot of people like yourself who are authors that maybe some people never heard of.

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And there's so many great books out there.

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You know,

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if you use your imagination with books,

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you can go almost anywhere that you want.

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And I've always really loved to read.

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And so that's why I've kind of made a business out of it.

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So I'm glad that you do that.

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I like what you're doing.

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I like your thoughts.

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I'm going to pass this on too.

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This is great.

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So just to give the audience a little bit of a taste,

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you know,

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the legacy letters,

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you know,

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if you read a little bit about the book,

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it says rediscover private letters from a dying father to his children and his wife uncover a passionate and powerful guidebook to life.

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Basically,

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you know,

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talks about a lot about memories and legacies and things of that nature.

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What inspired you to write this book?

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Oh,

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this is sort of a fun story.

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Well,

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first of all,

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I had an early midlife crisis.

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And as I like to say,

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if you're going to have a crisis,

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have it early.

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Have a midlife crisis,

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have it early in your life.

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That's a running joke.

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But

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I ended up in film school,

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went to UCLA,

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got out,

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got into the film world.

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I worked on pretty much everything.

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I worked on...

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low budget horrors and features and commercials and

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MTV music videos.

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And,

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you know,

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it's,

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it's,

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it's at a really interesting time in the industry,

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sort of a transition time.

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But I began to see this interesting writing on the wall.

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I,

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um,

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I began to see people that were making a lot of money that were very unhappy.

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And I thought,

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well,

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this,

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this industry is supposed to be about fun and dreams and all this.

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And,

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and it was,

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um,

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there was a fast paced part of the life,

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you know,

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the bright.

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lights up Hollywood and whatnot.

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And I,

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and the more and more I looked into it,

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the more the underbelly of it just began to sort of like,

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wow,

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do I want to end up here in 20 or 30 years?

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And so I started driving around the West.

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I did it.

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You know how the

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Aborigines do a walkabout?

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Well,

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I did a driveabout and I would take these long drives.

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And my,

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my friends at the time thought I was sort of loopy and like,

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what are you doing?

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I said,

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I don't know.

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I'm just,

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I got,

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I gotta...

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So I'm looking for something.

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I'm not sure what it is,

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but I'm just going to drive myself to it.

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Well,

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gosh,

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what I ended up doing was I ended up in a small town along the border in Arizona.

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I call it a three-bar town because that's how you measure bars in the West or measure towns in the West by how many bars they have.

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So this was a pretty small town with three bars.

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And I ended up going back to my roots.

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My grandfolks had a small ranch growing up.

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And I ended up cowboying on a very desolate ranch.

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You could not see a light to see your life.

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I mean,

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it was just that desolate.

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And what was interesting in that desolation,

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this became almost a Walden Pond time of my life.

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Wasn't looking for it in that respect,

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but I picked up the pen again.

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I had written before and published before.

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And this idea started coming around.

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It grew and grew and grew.

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And I wrote more and more.

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And I wrote literally the first 100 pages by hand.

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It just felt like it needed to be written that way.

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And David,

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what was funny was

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I decided I wasn't going to read the book until I wrote the first 100 pages.

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I just wanted to see how.

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And I sat down and again in this quietude all by myself.

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And I poured myself a little glass of whiskey.

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And I read the first 100 pages.

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And I said,

271
00:09:20.382 --> 00:09:20.554
oh,

272
00:09:20.695 --> 00:09:21.804
I hate this thing.

273
00:09:21.933 --> 00:09:23.414
This is the worst writing.

274
00:09:24.254 --> 00:09:26.334
I just wanted to burn the thing right there.

275
00:09:27.276 --> 00:09:29.073
And I'm glad I didn't because

276
00:09:30.213 --> 00:09:33.159
I kept going with it because I knew there was the kernel of something there.

277
00:09:33.854 --> 00:09:35.620
And sure as heck there was.

278
00:09:35.815 --> 00:09:38.424
And we came to see the light years later.

279
00:09:38.924 --> 00:09:39.049
Well,

280
00:09:39.050 --> 00:09:40.612
it is definitely an extraordinary book.

281
00:09:41.096 --> 00:09:43.518
You touched on a lot of things in that book that makes me,

282
00:09:43.752 --> 00:09:44.518
just as a father,

283
00:09:44.581 --> 00:09:46.034
think of things to do.

284
00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:48.659
I used to always think that my wife was...

285
00:09:48.921 --> 00:09:51.104
was crazy for this because she took so much time.

286
00:09:51.126 --> 00:09:55.712
So I'm going to ask you this question because when I told her that this was a question I was going to ask you,

287
00:09:55.852 --> 00:09:57.313
one of your publicists said I should ask.

288
00:09:57.977 --> 00:09:58.594
My wife was like,

289
00:09:58.657 --> 00:09:58.837
see,

290
00:09:59.243 --> 00:10:00.141
someone else agrees.

291
00:10:00.803 --> 00:10:01.984
So she likes to write.

292
00:10:02.004 --> 00:10:04.167
She sells things on Etsy and places like that.

293
00:10:04.206 --> 00:10:05.828
And every time she sells something,

294
00:10:05.847 --> 00:10:11.597
she also takes the time to sit down and write that person a nice handwritten thank you note.

295
00:10:12.331 --> 00:10:14.097
And so in your opinion,

296
00:10:14.175 --> 00:10:16.902
what is the importance of handwritten thank you letters and notes?

297
00:10:17.761 --> 00:10:17.886
Oh,

298
00:10:18.386 --> 00:10:18.855
gosh.

299
00:10:19.308 --> 00:10:20.886
I really want to meet your wife now.

300
00:10:20.887 --> 00:10:23.667
I'm going to find her Etsy site.

301
00:10:26.527 --> 00:10:26.683
Oh,

302
00:10:26.855 --> 00:10:27.292
gosh.

303
00:10:27.511 --> 00:10:27.808
You know,

304
00:10:29.058 --> 00:10:29.949
before I get around to that.

305
00:10:30.075 --> 00:10:33.257
There's this cool thing that I've been doing with our local schools.

306
00:10:33.558 --> 00:10:35.499
I came up with this idea called Project Gratitude,

307
00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:40.702
which is basically getting kids involved in local,

308
00:10:40.843 --> 00:10:41.406
regional,

309
00:10:41.648 --> 00:10:45.609
international sort of community services.

310
00:10:45.610 --> 00:10:45.851
You know,

311
00:10:45.874 --> 00:10:46.624
not just services,

312
00:10:46.656 --> 00:10:48.265
but ways to help people out in other communities.

313
00:10:48.671 --> 00:10:48.796
So,

314
00:10:48.827 --> 00:10:49.687
for example,

315
00:10:51.062 --> 00:10:53.593
during the hurricanes we would have,

316
00:10:53.594 --> 00:10:56.859
we would have the kids gather up supplies and clothing and whatnot.

317
00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:01.622
And we would have them attach handwritten letters to the supplies,

318
00:11:01.665 --> 00:11:02.306
to the clothes,

319
00:11:02.307 --> 00:11:03.083
to the teddy bears,

320
00:11:03.084 --> 00:11:03.665
to the books,

321
00:11:03.685 --> 00:11:04.927
to whatever we were sending.

322
00:11:05.447 --> 00:11:08.368
And we've done this a number of times.

323
00:11:08.814 --> 00:11:11.673
And so it tells the kids you're communicating with this.

324
00:11:11.674 --> 00:11:14.118
We did this super cool thing with Cuba.

325
00:11:14.134 --> 00:11:17.259
I did this first ever book signing in Cuba when they first opened up.

326
00:11:17.775 --> 00:11:20.368
And we got books from kids in three different states.

327
00:11:21.165 --> 00:11:22.228
And the kids all brought books.

328
00:11:22.263 --> 00:11:27.727
books together and they wrote letters in the books and the kids at the school in Cuba were just blown away.

329
00:11:28.871 --> 00:11:29.950
They tried to send letters back.

330
00:11:29.951 --> 00:11:31.035
It was much more difficult,

331
00:11:31.114 --> 00:11:33.996
but the idea of communicating through letters.

332
00:11:34.098 --> 00:11:35.332
So here's again,

333
00:11:35.356 --> 00:11:35.856
the cool,

334
00:11:35.957 --> 00:11:39.332
cool thing about Henry letters and letters in general.

335
00:11:39.426 --> 00:11:51.348
So one of the secret mysterious things I found in the writing of the book and the writing of a letter is that when you sit down and write on a piece of paper,

336
00:11:52.603 --> 00:11:56.628
and put your time into that paper and put the ink in there,

337
00:11:56.668 --> 00:12:00.492
you are literally giving the gift of your time to someone else.

338
00:12:00.812 --> 00:12:04.453
And if we consider that one of the most valuable gifts we can give anybody,

339
00:12:04.734 --> 00:12:08.078
the time in our lives to somebody else,

340
00:12:08.476 --> 00:12:09.492
you are doing that in a letter.

341
00:12:09.523 --> 00:12:10.554
And when they receive it,

342
00:12:11.554 --> 00:12:13.570
not only are they receiving a letter of gratitude,

343
00:12:13.585 --> 00:12:15.148
which is a wonderful thought right there,

344
00:12:15.570 --> 00:12:17.710
they're receiving the gift of the time you've given them.

345
00:12:17.773 --> 00:12:21.054
And they understand that they're holding that time in their hands.

346
00:12:21.648 --> 00:12:22.289
So I think it's...

347
00:12:23.224 --> 00:12:25.927
Not only is it powerful receiving the thank you letter,

348
00:12:26.127 --> 00:12:33.435
the very act of taking time to make that people understand that so different from a text,

349
00:12:33.873 --> 00:12:35.138
so different from an email.

350
00:12:35.576 --> 00:12:37.177
And who's going to save that at the end of the day,

351
00:12:37.255 --> 00:12:37.498
right?

352
00:12:37.755 --> 00:12:38.646
You'll save that letter,

353
00:12:39.365 --> 00:12:42.287
but are you going to save a text?

354
00:12:42.318 --> 00:12:42.584
Yeah,

355
00:12:42.599 --> 00:12:43.130
some people do,

356
00:12:43.162 --> 00:12:43.943
but it's not the same.

357
00:12:44.505 --> 00:12:48.505
So let's go a little bit deeper into that just for the young people here,

358
00:12:48.568 --> 00:12:49.349
because as you know.

359
00:12:50.335 --> 00:12:51.956
You and I would probably be in the same era.

360
00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:54.741
We grew up a lot differently than the kids grow up now.

361
00:12:54.819 --> 00:12:56.022
Everything is fast paced.

362
00:12:56.023 --> 00:12:56.882
You got to have it now.

363
00:12:57.042 --> 00:12:57.983
Everything is technology.

364
00:12:58.624 --> 00:13:01.585
So do you feel like if I was to send you a letter,

365
00:13:02.468 --> 00:13:04.327
but I typed it on my computer,

366
00:13:04.608 --> 00:13:06.616
but I signed it at the end,

367
00:13:06.617 --> 00:13:10.288
that's a lot less personable to you that you feel than if I was to sit down,

368
00:13:10.351 --> 00:13:10.976
take my time,

369
00:13:11.069 --> 00:13:12.913
actually write it out on some paper?

370
00:13:13.444 --> 00:13:13.585
Well,

371
00:13:13.601 --> 00:13:14.163
I think that's,

372
00:13:14.382 --> 00:13:14.679
I think.

373
00:13:15.119 --> 00:13:16.240
I think that's legit.

374
00:13:16.781 --> 00:13:17.361
Yeah,

375
00:13:17.402 --> 00:13:18.703
because I think it shows,

376
00:13:18.704 --> 00:13:18.943
you know,

377
00:13:18.944 --> 00:13:20.726
it shows the time you took to do it.

378
00:13:20.964 --> 00:13:22.546
And I've done that many times too.

379
00:13:22.605 --> 00:13:34.925
I think the humanness of the essence of who you are that you put into a letter,

380
00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:36.488
even if it's chicken scratch,

381
00:13:37.222 --> 00:13:37.566
is very,

382
00:13:37.597 --> 00:13:38.363
very powerful.

383
00:13:38.785 --> 00:13:39.019
You know,

384
00:13:39.066 --> 00:13:40.628
I think people hold on to that because,

385
00:13:40.691 --> 00:13:40.925
wow,

386
00:13:40.988 --> 00:13:42.660
this person actually took that time.

387
00:13:43.023 --> 00:13:45.125
I know we don't have handwriting as much as possible.

388
00:13:45.146 --> 00:13:46.025
I try to promote that.

389
00:13:46.066 --> 00:13:49.709
I still think it's absolutely worthwhile to do that.

390
00:13:50.111 --> 00:13:51.771
But with per your point,

391
00:13:51.873 --> 00:13:52.170
I would,

392
00:13:52.373 --> 00:13:53.271
I would welcome that.

393
00:13:53.349 --> 00:13:55.357
So if you want to send me a thank you letter,

394
00:13:58.638 --> 00:13:59.474
I would welcome it.

395
00:13:59.943 --> 00:14:00.084
Well,

396
00:14:00.099 --> 00:14:01.224
I totally agree with that.

397
00:14:01.255 --> 00:14:05.880
And I say that because I've been a huge professional wrestling fan for years and

398
00:14:06.505 --> 00:14:09.302
I always felt cheap in when you buy something from a,

399
00:14:09.490 --> 00:14:10.365
from a superstar.

400
00:14:10.911 --> 00:14:15.157
And you can tell that the signature was just something they wrote once.

401
00:14:15.293 --> 00:14:16.575
And then whoever their assistant is,

402
00:14:16.576 --> 00:14:18.379
just stamps that with electronics.

403
00:14:19.036 --> 00:14:20.122
In WrestleMania 21,

404
00:14:20.137 --> 00:14:20.700
several years ago,

405
00:14:20.918 --> 00:14:22.379
John Cena was the world champion.

406
00:14:23.020 --> 00:14:24.387
And for a lot of people who don't know this,

407
00:14:24.388 --> 00:14:25.262
I'm going to spill this now.

408
00:14:25.887 --> 00:14:26.387
Everyone,

409
00:14:26.504 --> 00:14:28.012
they sold a thing called a mat plaque.

410
00:14:28.075 --> 00:14:28.684
And what that was,

411
00:14:28.731 --> 00:14:30.403
was there was a picture of him holding his title.

412
00:14:30.793 --> 00:14:31.825
It was signed by him.

413
00:14:31.872 --> 00:14:35.622
And then there was a piece of the ring mat attached to that plaque.

414
00:14:35.623 --> 00:14:40.278
One thing I want everybody to know is these are not computer generated signatures.

415
00:14:40.675 --> 00:14:45.340
They are locked or sent into a room where they do nothing but sign about five to eight hours a day.

416
00:14:45.922 --> 00:14:48.860
And every one of those signatures was John's.

417
00:14:48.861 --> 00:14:51.867
I've actually compared it between mine and someone else that had one.

418
00:14:52.289 --> 00:14:52.946
Because as you know,

419
00:14:53.024 --> 00:14:53.946
we can sign the same.

420
00:14:54.008 --> 00:14:55.227
But after you get tired or whatever,

421
00:14:55.289 --> 00:14:56.391
it doesn't look the same.

422
00:14:56.508 --> 00:14:57.758
You can tell it's the same person.

423
00:14:58.133 --> 00:14:59.352
But I can see some differences.

424
00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:00.619
So I do agree.

425
00:15:00.719 --> 00:15:01.019
To me,

426
00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:01.679
I felt,

427
00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:02.860
even though I bought it from the site,

428
00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:10.442
I felt extra special to know that John took the time to sit in the room and do nothing but get writers cramped because he actually personally signed my matplot.

429
00:15:10.903 --> 00:15:11.841
So I do agree with that.

430
00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:12.841
Yeah,

431
00:15:13.098 --> 00:15:13.223
yeah,

432
00:15:13.364 --> 00:15:13.942
absolutely.

433
00:15:14.301 --> 00:15:14.723
And again,

434
00:15:15.442 --> 00:15:18.083
isn't that in a world where we're just,

435
00:15:20.583 --> 00:15:26.817
where we seem to be sanding down the edges of authenticity?

436
00:15:27.443 --> 00:15:27.643
Right.

437
00:15:27.683 --> 00:15:29.526
We're just trying to do everything.

438
00:15:29.764 --> 00:15:31.186
The sameness of everything,

439
00:15:31.546 --> 00:15:33.608
even though we've got all these these,

440
00:15:33.651 --> 00:15:33.850
again,

441
00:15:33.948 --> 00:15:34.870
social media outlets,

442
00:15:34.909 --> 00:15:39.753
all these ways to make things over the top and and crazy and all that.

443
00:15:40.112 --> 00:15:43.096
What we're looking for is this this connection between people.

444
00:15:43.417 --> 00:15:44.839
And I think you just said it right.

445
00:15:44.854 --> 00:15:45.635
You looked at that.

446
00:15:45.807 --> 00:15:49.010
That was from his hand to you.

447
00:15:49.464 --> 00:15:49.682
I mean,

448
00:15:49.729 --> 00:15:51.260
that's that's the closest.

449
00:15:51.792 --> 00:15:52.010
I mean,

450
00:15:52.089 --> 00:15:54.464
unless you meet him in person and he actually signs it in front of you.

451
00:15:54.932 --> 00:15:56.151
And that means something to you.

452
00:15:56.647 --> 00:15:57.068
I agree.

453
00:15:57.388 --> 00:15:58.048
I totally agree.

454
00:15:58.349 --> 00:15:59.749
So go back to the legacy letters.

455
00:16:00.312 --> 00:16:04.995
How many or how much of the stories in that book are yours?

456
00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:06.238
Do you have any in there that's personal?

457
00:16:06.941 --> 00:16:07.058
Well,

458
00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.503
so I'll let your readers know a couple things.

459
00:16:09.504 --> 00:16:09.941
First of all,

460
00:16:09.942 --> 00:16:11.839
I'll just give you a very quick overview,

461
00:16:12.284 --> 00:16:13.691
and you explained it nicely,

462
00:16:13.738 --> 00:16:20.534
but basically the legacy letters is a series of fictional letters written by this father to his children he'd never loved to see,

463
00:16:21.066 --> 00:16:22.550
and these letters become their practical,

464
00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:22.988
moral,

465
00:16:23.206 --> 00:16:24.972
and spiritual guidebook for the rest of their lives.

466
00:16:25.451 --> 00:16:26.812
They never met their father.

467
00:16:27.353 --> 00:16:28.933
These letters were written a long time ago.

468
00:16:29.074 --> 00:16:29.875
We don't know when.

469
00:16:30.098 --> 00:16:31.937
The whole setup is that they're very private.

470
00:16:32.219 --> 00:16:34.441
The children grew up with these letters and wanted to give

471
00:16:34.801 --> 00:16:38.105
40 of the over 200 letters he left behind.

472
00:16:38.465 --> 00:16:39.785
They want to give this to the world.

473
00:16:40.262 --> 00:16:41.230
And so it actually,

474
00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:42.887
the next book is coming out,

475
00:16:42.888 --> 00:16:44.027
The Legacy Letters Complete,

476
00:16:44.168 --> 00:16:45.590
and that's all 200 letters.

477
00:16:46.012 --> 00:16:46.574
But in this way,

478
00:16:47.074 --> 00:16:49.090
it's a Tuesdays with Maury size,

479
00:16:49.371 --> 00:16:50.683
for those of you that remember that book.

480
00:16:51.402 --> 00:16:54.887
And so it's easily accessible.

481
00:16:55.795 --> 00:16:57.156
So in the writing of the book,

482
00:16:58.757 --> 00:17:02.921
I wrote all the letters out of sequence,

483
00:17:03.581 --> 00:17:04.503
which was interesting.

484
00:17:04.925 --> 00:17:05.081
Now,

485
00:17:05.167 --> 00:17:05.464
again,

486
00:17:05.487 --> 00:17:06.542
when we talk about the book,

487
00:17:06.683 --> 00:17:07.870
what are these letters about?

488
00:17:08.167 --> 00:17:11.784
They're everything from how to buy a used car,

489
00:17:12.409 --> 00:17:13.534
how to fall in love,

490
00:17:14.034 --> 00:17:14.972
how to be married,

491
00:17:15.441 --> 00:17:18.253
how to ride a horse,

492
00:17:18.316 --> 00:17:19.503
how to be outside,

493
00:17:19.894 --> 00:17:21.487
the beauty of reading,

494
00:17:21.737 --> 00:17:22.019
you know,

495
00:17:22.269 --> 00:17:22.941
teachers.

496
00:17:24.487 --> 00:17:25.508
It goes on and on.

497
00:17:25.749 --> 00:17:34.374
This man wanted to leave behind the legacy of his thinking and how to live life in the most passionate way possible.

498
00:17:34.835 --> 00:17:40.203
And it's also a love story because he and his wife separated under these circumstances that we're not quite certain about.

499
00:17:40.609 --> 00:17:42.437
But in the very first letter in the book,

500
00:17:42.468 --> 00:17:42.828
she says,

501
00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:43.328
you know what,

502
00:17:44.234 --> 00:17:45.781
we had an extraordinary relationship.

503
00:17:45.874 --> 00:17:49.999
We brought it to a close and then we brought it back together again through these letters.

504
00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.843
So in the writing of this book,

505
00:17:53.947 --> 00:17:54.267
David,

506
00:17:54.327 --> 00:17:58.172
what was extraordinary for me was when I was at the ranch,

507
00:17:58.192 --> 00:17:59.731
this was a very difficult time,

508
00:18:00.453 --> 00:18:02.137
and it was a very revealing,

509
00:18:02.254 --> 00:18:02.957
naked time,

510
00:18:02.973 --> 00:18:04.199
as I almost like to call it.

511
00:18:05.262 --> 00:18:11.481
And people have responded to that revelation,

512
00:18:11.512 --> 00:18:12.512
that authenticity,

513
00:18:12.543 --> 00:18:13.965
that looking into one's soul,

514
00:18:14.153 --> 00:18:14.746
essentially.

515
00:18:15.512 --> 00:18:15.934
And

516
00:18:18.028 --> 00:18:21.512
I'll tell you some stories here in a moment about book signings.

517
00:18:22.151 --> 00:18:24.073
And the way that people have reacted to this,

518
00:18:24.154 --> 00:18:25.515
because at a certain point,

519
00:18:25.695 --> 00:18:27.257
I left behind being an author.

520
00:18:27.956 --> 00:18:37.042
I became a messenger to my own book and the stories that people brought to me as they revealed themselves in the reading of the book.

521
00:18:37.683 --> 00:18:38.652
I was blown away.

522
00:18:39.167 --> 00:18:40.105
And even to this day,

523
00:18:41.011 --> 00:18:48.198
people will come to me and say that they'll just open up their deepest secrets because I did the same or the person did the same in the book.

524
00:18:48.323 --> 00:18:48.433
So

525
00:18:49.917 --> 00:18:50.323
I'm not.

526
00:18:50.455 --> 00:18:52.938
I know it's a roundabout way of answering your question,

527
00:18:53.558 --> 00:18:58.743
but it's extraordinary in that it's a raw shock test,

528
00:18:58.923 --> 00:18:59.563
in essence,

529
00:18:59.884 --> 00:19:02.767
of people's lives and what they've encountered.

530
00:19:03.587 --> 00:19:03.712
Yeah,

531
00:19:03.713 --> 00:19:04.548
I don't give a lot away.

532
00:19:04.587 --> 00:19:07.946
I try to play vague because I want people to go out and buy the book and read it.

533
00:19:08.352 --> 00:19:10.399
So that's why I'm talking about it.

534
00:19:11.477 --> 00:19:12.821
But as a father,

535
00:19:12.962 --> 00:19:14.321
the book kind of made me think,

536
00:19:14.571 --> 00:19:14.759
right?

537
00:19:14.760 --> 00:19:15.181
It's like,

538
00:19:15.243 --> 00:19:17.259
should I start writing some of these letters?

539
00:19:17.337 --> 00:19:17.727
What if,

540
00:19:18.102 --> 00:19:18.337
you know,

541
00:19:18.790 --> 00:19:18.915
as

542
00:19:19.099 --> 00:19:19.600
parents now,

543
00:19:19.620 --> 00:19:21.201
we try to explain to our kids,

544
00:19:21.281 --> 00:19:21.461
well,

545
00:19:21.601 --> 00:19:22.902
it was like this 20 years ago.

546
00:19:23.504 --> 00:19:24.305
So after reading your book,

547
00:19:24.306 --> 00:19:24.562
I'm like,

548
00:19:24.746 --> 00:19:27.586
what if I actually sat down and actually wrote a letter to my son,

549
00:19:27.687 --> 00:19:28.008
Jacob,

550
00:19:28.070 --> 00:19:28.625
who's 14,

551
00:19:28.626 --> 00:19:29.687
he's really into video games,

552
00:19:30.250 --> 00:19:32.773
explaining exactly how video games really was back then.

553
00:19:32.836 --> 00:19:32.992
Well,

554
00:19:32.993 --> 00:19:34.633
he cherished that and take that with him.

555
00:19:35.258 --> 00:19:36.289
And I think from your book,

556
00:19:36.633 --> 00:19:36.836
yeah,

557
00:19:37.211 --> 00:19:38.101
maybe we should do that.

558
00:19:38.242 --> 00:19:38.351
Now,

559
00:19:38.352 --> 00:19:40.086
do you think there's a damning side of that?

560
00:19:40.133 --> 00:19:41.789
The reason I ask that is because of this.

561
00:19:42.320 --> 00:19:43.164
When watching this show,

562
00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:44.351
I think it's called Black Cake,

563
00:19:44.398 --> 00:19:45.820
where the mom ends up dying.

564
00:19:46.239 --> 00:19:49.584
but leaves these series of tapes for the lawyer to give to her kids.

565
00:19:49.766 --> 00:19:51.088
In these series of tapes,

566
00:19:51.147 --> 00:19:54.112
which is pretty much the same as her letter just written on the tape,

567
00:19:54.733 --> 00:19:57.381
she drops a lot of bombshells they didn't know.

568
00:19:57.459 --> 00:19:58.678
They have a secret sister.

569
00:19:58.764 --> 00:19:59.686
A lot of things happen.

570
00:20:00.328 --> 00:20:03.170
Do you think that we should be dropping those kind of things in letters?

571
00:20:04.674 --> 00:20:05.432
That's interesting.

572
00:20:05.452 --> 00:20:05.791
I mean,

573
00:20:06.495 --> 00:20:08.057
yeah.

574
00:20:09.596 --> 00:20:09.854
Wow.

575
00:20:10.135 --> 00:20:11.041
What a great question.

576
00:20:11.081 --> 00:20:11.838
I've never been asked.

577
00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:12.479
That's a first.

578
00:20:15.362 --> 00:20:15.721
Should we,

579
00:20:15.924 --> 00:20:16.971
I guess if we're,

580
00:20:17.143 --> 00:20:21.893
if we're coming to the point where we want to be honest and the way we lived our lives and,

581
00:20:22.612 --> 00:20:22.971
and,

582
00:20:23.096 --> 00:20:24.752
and we don't want to pull those punches.

583
00:20:26.831 --> 00:20:27.112
Yeah,

584
00:20:27.127 --> 00:20:27.815
that's interesting.

585
00:20:27.831 --> 00:20:29.002
But I think we all have.

586
00:20:29.276 --> 00:20:32.800
parts of our life that we don't share with anybody.

587
00:20:32.919 --> 00:20:38.602
We share just with ourselves or with the universe.

588
00:20:39.727 --> 00:20:41.626
And those are decisions you have to make.

589
00:20:41.649 --> 00:20:41.829
I mean,

590
00:20:43.329 --> 00:20:46.258
I think the idea of passing on that information,

591
00:20:46.290 --> 00:20:47.508
like your letter to your son,

592
00:20:47.555 --> 00:20:48.696
I think that'd be extraordinary.

593
00:20:48.727 --> 00:20:48.899
Now,

594
00:20:49.118 --> 00:20:50.821
how would he receive it right now?

595
00:20:51.243 --> 00:20:51.415
Eh,

596
00:20:51.712 --> 00:20:52.040
you know,

597
00:20:52.258 --> 00:20:52.415
yeah.

598
00:20:52.618 --> 00:20:52.915
All right.

599
00:20:52.993 --> 00:20:53.227
Thanks,

600
00:20:53.274 --> 00:20:53.524
dad.

601
00:20:54.118 --> 00:20:56.540
But if it's waiting there for him,

602
00:20:57.383 --> 00:20:57.868
when he's

603
00:20:58.284 --> 00:20:58.624
older,

604
00:20:58.704 --> 00:21:00.745
maybe he's 23 or 24,

605
00:21:00.746 --> 00:21:02.706
or maybe when he first has his kid,

606
00:21:02.765 --> 00:21:02.905
boy,

607
00:21:02.906 --> 00:21:04.104
that's the eye-opener there.

608
00:21:06.202 --> 00:21:07.405
Or like Mark Twain said,

609
00:21:08.944 --> 00:21:10.507
when I was 17 or 18,

610
00:21:10.530 --> 00:21:12.226
I couldn't believe how little my dad knew.

611
00:21:12.227 --> 00:21:14.874
And when I turned 22,

612
00:21:14.905 --> 00:21:16.483
I couldn't believe how much he had grown up.

613
00:21:18.108 --> 00:21:19.827
I think that's the extraordinary thing too,

614
00:21:19.921 --> 00:21:27.530
is that we see how our kids grow up and begin to understand that we're people too and that we have things to

615
00:21:27.996 --> 00:21:31.998
We're not just parents anymore that we've really lived these interesting lives.

616
00:21:31.999 --> 00:21:32.736
So yes,

617
00:21:33.115 --> 00:21:34.416
please do that for your son,

618
00:21:34.417 --> 00:21:34.998
no matter what.

619
00:21:35.076 --> 00:21:36.721
And then those other,

620
00:21:37.580 --> 00:21:40.955
those other things that you consider important.

621
00:21:40.978 --> 00:21:42.057
I think that's where it's at,

622
00:21:42.197 --> 00:21:42.416
right?

623
00:21:43.158 --> 00:21:43.439
I mean,

624
00:21:43.502 --> 00:21:50.400
whether it be from sports or being polite or how to treat women or how to fix a used car.

625
00:21:50.416 --> 00:21:50.619
I mean,

626
00:21:50.666 --> 00:21:55.338
whatever it is that lights you up in life and that you want to pass on to your son or your love of reading,

627
00:21:55.369 --> 00:21:55.697
just say,

628
00:21:55.775 --> 00:21:55.963
Hey,

629
00:21:56.416 --> 00:21:56.697
Jacob.

630
00:21:56.864 --> 00:21:57.845
I just want you to know,

631
00:21:57.985 --> 00:21:59.807
and you know all the books we have around here,

632
00:22:00.788 --> 00:22:01.948
this is how much I love reading,

633
00:22:02.011 --> 00:22:03.268
or how much I love your mom.

634
00:22:04.511 --> 00:22:04.870
And that's,

635
00:22:05.495 --> 00:22:05.753
wow,

636
00:22:05.831 --> 00:22:10.417
to read that and to have that in your hand is not only a historical document,

637
00:22:10.418 --> 00:22:11.362
but a document of,

638
00:22:12.815 --> 00:22:14.128
I don't want to say confessional,

639
00:22:14.175 --> 00:22:14.847
but it's more,

640
00:22:15.268 --> 00:22:15.409
yeah,

641
00:22:15.410 --> 00:22:16.143
in a way it is,

642
00:22:16.206 --> 00:22:16.550
isn't it?

643
00:22:17.018 --> 00:22:18.347
And they get to hold that forever.

644
00:22:18.565 --> 00:22:18.847
Wow,

645
00:22:18.925 --> 00:22:20.081
he wrote it down.

646
00:22:20.362 --> 00:22:20.925
So it's real.

647
00:22:20.940 --> 00:22:22.362
It just wasn't he walked his talk.

648
00:22:22.409 --> 00:22:23.643
He put it on paper.

649
00:22:24.003 --> 00:22:24.847
It's there forever.

650
00:22:25.488 --> 00:22:26.829
So going around these letters,

651
00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.212
you came up with National Thank You Letter Day.

652
00:22:30.755 --> 00:22:32.536
Can you tell us how you came up with that?

653
00:22:33.177 --> 00:22:33.357
Oh,

654
00:22:33.435 --> 00:22:34.060
this is fun.

655
00:22:34.115 --> 00:22:34.357
Okay,

656
00:22:34.419 --> 00:22:35.779
so I'm reading from,

657
00:22:36.036 --> 00:22:36.161
yeah,

658
00:22:36.177 --> 00:22:37.904
I got to show you guys.

659
00:22:38.263 --> 00:22:39.263
If you're watching this,

660
00:22:39.302 --> 00:22:39.943
if you don't see it,

661
00:22:39.944 --> 00:22:40.607
you can look online.

662
00:22:41.005 --> 00:22:42.138
There's the book right there.

663
00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:42.482
Okay,

664
00:22:42.497 --> 00:22:43.419
the legacy letters.

665
00:22:43.450 --> 00:22:43.810
All right.

666
00:22:43.888 --> 00:22:44.013
So

667
00:22:44.732 --> 00:22:50.388
I'm sitting in front of this handwriting class at our local elementary school where I get to do all these wonderful things.

668
00:22:50.825 --> 00:22:51.450
Continental

669
00:22:51.872 --> 00:22:53.654
Elementary. They're just such a great school.

670
00:22:54.482 --> 00:22:54.716
And...

671
00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:56.762
I'm reading from one of the letters and it says,

672
00:22:57.403 --> 00:22:58.944
how to say please and thank you.

673
00:22:59.384 --> 00:23:02.267
So I'm writing on the chalkboard and I'm doing this.

674
00:23:04.149 --> 00:23:04.852
And the kids are,

675
00:23:04.853 --> 00:23:05.087
you know,

676
00:23:05.110 --> 00:23:05.727
they're writing.

677
00:23:07.110 --> 00:23:08.337
And I could just tell they're like,

678
00:23:09.595 --> 00:23:09.712
oh,

679
00:23:10.173 --> 00:23:10.337
God,

680
00:23:10.352 --> 00:23:11.017
I'm losing him.

681
00:23:11.290 --> 00:23:11.602
Because,

682
00:23:11.603 --> 00:23:11.993
of course,

683
00:23:12.040 --> 00:23:13.915
this is the most exciting thing in the world,

684
00:23:14.274 --> 00:23:15.399
how to teach handwriting.

685
00:23:15.962 --> 00:23:17.384
And so my little brain goes,

686
00:23:17.399 --> 00:23:17.977
you know what?

687
00:23:19.040 --> 00:23:20.431
And I turned to them and I said,

688
00:23:21.352 --> 00:23:23.587
what do you guys think about creating?

689
00:23:24.668 --> 00:23:27.789
the world's largest handwritten thank you letter.

690
00:23:28.209 --> 00:23:30.209
And we're going to make it the size of a football field.

691
00:23:30.229 --> 00:23:30.529
They're like,

692
00:23:30.650 --> 00:23:30.811
oh,

693
00:23:30.889 --> 00:23:31.170
Mr.

694
00:23:31.229 --> 00:23:31.768
Paparazzi,

695
00:23:31.769 --> 00:23:32.869
that's the greatest idea.

696
00:23:32.947 --> 00:23:33.268
Whoa.

697
00:23:33.471 --> 00:23:33.729
You know,

698
00:23:33.768 --> 00:23:34.229
they're all like,

699
00:23:34.650 --> 00:23:34.791
yeah.

700
00:23:34.792 --> 00:23:35.369
And I just said,

701
00:23:35.690 --> 00:23:35.971
yeah,

702
00:23:36.354 --> 00:23:37.627
it's the greatest idea.

703
00:23:37.729 --> 00:23:38.252
And I thought,

704
00:23:38.588 --> 00:23:38.752
oh,

705
00:23:39.393 --> 00:23:39.971
crap.

706
00:23:42.947 --> 00:23:43.072
Oh,

707
00:23:43.244 --> 00:23:43.369
no.

708
00:23:43.932 --> 00:23:46.150
Now we have to do it because I said it.

709
00:23:46.369 --> 00:23:48.525
And they expect me to do it right there on the,

710
00:23:48.572 --> 00:23:48.900
you know.

711
00:23:49.447 --> 00:23:49.572
Oh,

712
00:23:49.650 --> 00:23:50.197
my gosh.

713
00:23:51.479 --> 00:23:52.057
So we did it.

714
00:23:52.432 --> 00:23:53.900
So we did it.

715
00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:55.400
Um,

716
00:23:56.101 --> 00:23:58.082
and in the making of it,

717
00:23:58.543 --> 00:24:02.727
which took 30 rolls of butcher paper that we taped together,

718
00:24:03.872 --> 00:24:04.028
um,

719
00:24:04.067 --> 00:24:04.606
it took,

720
00:24:04.786 --> 00:24:07.434
I think over 50 pizzas,

721
00:24:07.793 --> 00:24:08.754
hundreds of cookies,

722
00:24:09.051 --> 00:24:09.293
you know,

723
00:24:09.294 --> 00:24:10.715
there's all this stuff you have to,

724
00:24:11.536 --> 00:24:11.661
to,

725
00:24:11.662 --> 00:24:11.801
uh,

726
00:24:12.270 --> 00:24:15.754
to get the kids going to make and weeks on end,

727
00:24:15.755 --> 00:24:15.973
it does,

728
00:24:16.239 --> 00:24:16.489
you know,

729
00:24:16.567 --> 00:24:17.739
I didn't know how to make this thing.

730
00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.989
We just sort of came up with it.

731
00:24:19.004 --> 00:24:20.629
And then the actual writing of the letter.

732
00:24:21.442 --> 00:24:21.614
Um,

733
00:24:22.428 --> 00:24:22.909
I decided,

734
00:24:22.969 --> 00:24:23.129
well,

735
00:24:23.229 --> 00:24:23.509
wait,

736
00:24:23.589 --> 00:24:24.910
I don't want this to be one and done.

737
00:24:24.930 --> 00:24:26.871
Why don't we create this National Thank You Letter Day?

738
00:24:26.891 --> 00:24:29.075
So we put it in the middle of November,

739
00:24:29.133 --> 00:24:29.934
the month of thanks,

740
00:24:30.317 --> 00:24:30.676
November

741
00:24:31.215 --> 00:24:31.340
14th.

742
00:24:32.278 --> 00:24:33.637
I think we're in our eighth year now.

743
00:24:34.582 --> 00:24:38.926
And the letter is the size of a high school basketball gym.

744
00:24:39.629 --> 00:24:42.160
If you go to nationalthankyouletterday.com,

745
00:24:42.910 --> 00:24:43.942
you can see it right there.

746
00:24:44.051 --> 00:24:44.754
It's super cool.

747
00:24:45.864 --> 00:24:47.457
And we had all the kids sign it.

748
00:24:47.458 --> 00:24:48.973
We have 600 signatures.

749
00:24:48.974 --> 00:24:50.520
We have the community was involved.

750
00:24:51.668 --> 00:24:52.570
But the running joke is,

751
00:24:52.650 --> 00:24:52.891
well,

752
00:24:52.951 --> 00:24:55.237
what do you do with the world's largest handwritten thank you letter?

753
00:24:55.478 --> 00:24:57.081
You have to send it.

754
00:24:57.983 --> 00:24:58.206
Right?

755
00:24:58.483 --> 00:24:58.726
I mean,

756
00:24:58.905 --> 00:24:59.730
what else do you do with the letter?

757
00:25:00.382 --> 00:25:01.963
So we created the world's largest envelope,

758
00:25:02.164 --> 00:25:03.244
the world's largest stamp.

759
00:25:03.826 --> 00:25:04.584
The next year,

760
00:25:05.787 --> 00:25:06.389
we had,

761
00:25:06.569 --> 00:25:08.748
and we tried for the Guinness with the handwritten.

762
00:25:08.928 --> 00:25:09.194
They,

763
00:25:09.608 --> 00:25:10.569
on a technicality,

764
00:25:10.615 --> 00:25:12.475
they didn't immediately accept it.

765
00:25:12.476 --> 00:25:13.678
So we went with the envelope stamp.

766
00:25:14.475 --> 00:25:16.037
And that whole process is amazing,

767
00:25:16.076 --> 00:25:17.217
how to do a Guinness record.

768
00:25:17.576 --> 00:25:19.873
You have to have all sorts of professionals.

769
00:25:19.874 --> 00:25:20.826
You have to videotape.

770
00:25:20.827 --> 00:25:21.029
I mean,

771
00:25:21.045 --> 00:25:22.311
the thing is unreal.

772
00:25:23.139 --> 00:25:24.451
And so we did it.

773
00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:26.170
To fold it up,

774
00:25:26.561 --> 00:25:27.623
it's like a

775
00:25:28.467 --> 00:25:29.217
25-foot long.

776
00:25:29.982 --> 00:25:31.624
three foot high paper burrito.

777
00:25:31.643 --> 00:25:32.745
It took 20 people,

778
00:25:33.024 --> 00:25:33.864
kids to carry it.

779
00:25:34.227 --> 00:25:36.048
We had to take the doors off the gym.

780
00:25:36.427 --> 00:25:43.216
We had to stuff it in the back of the mail truck and the postmaster stamped it.

781
00:25:43.575 --> 00:25:44.778
It's an official letter,

782
00:25:45.356 --> 00:25:46.481
took it down to our sister's school,

783
00:25:46.513 --> 00:25:47.106
open it up.

784
00:25:47.341 --> 00:25:48.294
So it was delivered.

785
00:25:48.716 --> 00:25:49.185
And,

786
00:25:49.919 --> 00:25:50.981
and for that,

787
00:25:51.122 --> 00:25:56.825
we received the Guinness book of world records and actually got on the Kelly Clarkson show.

788
00:25:56.872 --> 00:25:58.450
And we were able to get the good word out.

789
00:25:58.842 --> 00:25:59.743
But one of the cool,

790
00:25:59.844 --> 00:26:09.711
cool things was the postmaster purchased 600 prepaid postcards in which the kids sent letters to their parents or whoever they wanted to thank.

791
00:26:10.094 --> 00:26:11.851
And we received one from our son.

792
00:26:12.219 --> 00:26:12.953
And to paraphrase,

793
00:26:12.976 --> 00:26:13.297
it said,

794
00:26:13.578 --> 00:26:13.859
you know,

795
00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:14.554
dear mama,

796
00:26:14.656 --> 00:26:14.992
papa,

797
00:26:15.164 --> 00:26:17.258
thank you for my family.

798
00:26:17.898 --> 00:26:18.508
You're the best.

799
00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:20.726
I wish this card was longer so I could tell you more,

800
00:26:20.789 --> 00:26:21.851
but thank you so much.

801
00:26:21.883 --> 00:26:22.289
I love you.

802
00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:23.726
And I was just blown away.

803
00:26:23.773 --> 00:26:24.445
I have it to my,

804
00:26:24.461 --> 00:26:25.586
it's right next to my bed,

805
00:26:25.601 --> 00:26:25.914
you know,

806
00:26:25.929 --> 00:26:26.383
and I just,

807
00:26:26.773 --> 00:26:27.383
I love that.

808
00:26:27.742 --> 00:26:29.083
And there was,

809
00:26:29.884 --> 00:26:33.408
all that work came down to that one little square piece of paper,

810
00:26:33.970 --> 00:26:35.611
and it meant the world to me.

811
00:26:35.853 --> 00:26:37.275
And that's what a thank you letter does.

812
00:26:37.736 --> 00:26:38.931
So after all of that,

813
00:26:39.033 --> 00:26:39.931
you get the Guinness

814
00:26:40.376 --> 00:26:41.017
World Record.

815
00:26:41.673 --> 00:26:44.080
How did the kids feel when you let them know that,

816
00:26:44.095 --> 00:26:44.236
hey,

817
00:26:44.298 --> 00:26:47.564
we've got a Guinness World Record for this letter here?

818
00:26:48.189 --> 00:26:48.298
Oh,

819
00:26:48.423 --> 00:26:49.517
they were stoked.

820
00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:50.470
Are you kidding?

821
00:26:51.298 --> 00:26:51.783
It's so fun.

822
00:26:51.892 --> 00:26:52.642
And I got to tell you,

823
00:26:52.643 --> 00:26:53.626
in our little town,

824
00:26:54.173 --> 00:26:55.455
I was.

825
00:26:56.266 --> 00:26:59.990
One time I was walking down the local grocery store aisle,

826
00:27:00.770 --> 00:27:01.691
and this kid was,

827
00:27:01.793 --> 00:27:03.852
he had a couple of kids and their mom,

828
00:27:03.895 --> 00:27:04.035
and,

829
00:27:05.297 --> 00:27:05.555
hey,

830
00:27:06.938 --> 00:27:08.000
there's the big letter guy.

831
00:27:08.078 --> 00:27:08.602
There's Mr.

832
00:27:08.656 --> 00:27:09.422
Big Letter Guy.

833
00:27:09.423 --> 00:27:09.859
And I thought,

834
00:27:10.383 --> 00:27:10.922
wow,

835
00:27:11.461 --> 00:27:12.399
how cool is that?

836
00:27:12.508 --> 00:27:12.805
Mr.

837
00:27:12.867 --> 00:27:13.727
Big Letter Guy.

838
00:27:14.242 --> 00:27:14.664
I tell you,

839
00:27:14.665 --> 00:27:15.899
I can take that one to the grave.

840
00:27:16.727 --> 00:27:19.211
So they loved it.

841
00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:23.086
And some of the videos show how excited they are.

842
00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:23.492
And yeah,

843
00:27:23.649 --> 00:27:23.836
and...

844
00:27:24.174 --> 00:27:24.954
Still to this day,

845
00:27:25.034 --> 00:27:25.834
kids will run into me.

846
00:27:25.935 --> 00:27:26.575
Oh my gosh,

847
00:27:26.634 --> 00:27:28.956
that was one of the coolest things we ever did.

848
00:27:29.413 --> 00:27:29.574
Wow,

849
00:27:29.816 --> 00:27:31.995
that's something that they would definitely never forget.

850
00:27:32.538 --> 00:27:33.077
That's awesome.

851
00:27:33.296 --> 00:27:34.077
I've never heard,

852
00:27:34.117 --> 00:27:34.413
you know,

853
00:27:34.554 --> 00:27:36.679
until I met you and started reading.

854
00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:36.913
I'm like,

855
00:27:36.914 --> 00:27:37.077
hey,

856
00:27:37.117 --> 00:27:38.460
I didn't even know this existed.

857
00:27:38.976 --> 00:27:40.242
And I did go look into it.

858
00:27:40.243 --> 00:27:40.476
I'm like,

859
00:27:40.492 --> 00:27:40.773
yeah,

860
00:27:41.695 --> 00:27:42.413
this is pretty big.

861
00:27:42.414 --> 00:27:43.398
I don't know how they came up with that.

862
00:27:43.445 --> 00:27:44.038
That's good.

863
00:27:44.117 --> 00:27:46.913
So congratulations to you and the children.

864
00:27:46.945 --> 00:27:48.976
I'm glad that you had that common bond with them,

865
00:27:49.007 --> 00:27:50.038
that you guys got that done.

866
00:27:50.518 --> 00:27:50.838
Thank you,

867
00:27:50.899 --> 00:27:51.179
David.

868
00:27:51.199 --> 00:27:52.320
I really appreciate that.

869
00:27:52.620 --> 00:27:52.940
And yeah,

870
00:27:53.221 --> 00:27:53.641
thank you.

871
00:27:53.741 --> 00:27:53.981
I mean,

872
00:27:54.003 --> 00:27:54.503
there it is,

873
00:27:55.085 --> 00:27:58.006
the act of saying thanks and then showing up in a letter.

874
00:27:58.288 --> 00:27:58.428
Hey,

875
00:27:58.530 --> 00:27:59.124
and real quick,

876
00:27:59.506 --> 00:28:01.631
that letter was so funny on how to write it.

877
00:28:02.210 --> 00:28:04.514
So I tried to use my inner fourth grader,

878
00:28:04.569 --> 00:28:05.733
fifth grader to write it.

879
00:28:05.756 --> 00:28:06.077
I thought,

880
00:28:06.194 --> 00:28:06.389
oh,

881
00:28:06.390 --> 00:28:06.952
I'm a writer,

882
00:28:06.999 --> 00:28:07.592
I can do it.

883
00:28:07.999 --> 00:28:09.358
So I wrote out this letter.

884
00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:10.483
And again,

885
00:28:11.217 --> 00:28:12.545
like writing the legacy letters.

886
00:28:12.842 --> 00:28:14.045
And I read it and I said,

887
00:28:14.561 --> 00:28:14.889
oh.

888
00:28:15.322 --> 00:28:21.726
This sounds like a man who's an author trying to write a letter like he's a fourth grader.

889
00:28:23.929 --> 00:28:24.875
Down the pipes.

890
00:28:25.172 --> 00:28:26.351
So then I asked the kids,

891
00:28:26.375 --> 00:28:26.633
I said,

892
00:28:26.750 --> 00:28:26.992
okay,

893
00:28:27.031 --> 00:28:27.273
guys,

894
00:28:27.554 --> 00:28:28.633
I need some help in writing this.

895
00:28:28.734 --> 00:28:35.054
I want you to write what you're thankful for and just write it out on pieces of paper and I'll collect it.

896
00:28:35.148 --> 00:28:38.992
And that is the sum total of what's in the letter.

897
00:28:39.429 --> 00:28:42.304
And it comes across even the grammar and the syntax.

898
00:28:42.570 --> 00:28:44.070
You can tell it was written by kids.

899
00:28:44.351 --> 00:28:44.773
So again,

900
00:28:45.434 --> 00:28:47.314
Check out nationalthankyouletterday.com.

901
00:28:47.354 --> 00:28:49.635
You'll see the actual letter and you can read it.

902
00:28:49.636 --> 00:28:50.236
It's really fun.

903
00:28:50.775 --> 00:28:51.897
So I'm sure they go there,

904
00:28:51.975 --> 00:28:52.897
they'll see this,

905
00:28:52.936 --> 00:28:54.154
but I'm going to ask anyways,

906
00:28:54.678 --> 00:28:57.139
where do you store a letter that big?

907
00:28:58.693 --> 00:28:59.561
It's called the

908
00:28:59.998 --> 00:29:05.803
National Thank You Letter Day Storage Unit.

909
00:29:06.506 --> 00:29:08.818
It's a big flipping package,

910
00:29:08.834 --> 00:29:09.178
you know,

911
00:29:09.225 --> 00:29:13.740
and I've got it wrapped up in a special thing that keeps it dry and all this,

912
00:29:13.834 --> 00:29:14.943
and it folds up.

913
00:29:15.062 --> 00:29:24.299
but it's a it's it's a it's a monster that'll be a sight to see so everybody please make sure you go check that out we will put that uh in the show notes as well so you guys can go over and

914
00:29:24.850 --> 00:29:27.734
and view this letter because it is definitely incredible.

915
00:29:28.214 --> 00:29:28.414
Yeah.

916
00:29:28.792 --> 00:29:29.316
Yeah.

917
00:29:29.335 --> 00:29:29.457
Yeah.

918
00:29:29.476 --> 00:29:30.253
It's a lot of fun.

919
00:29:30.277 --> 00:29:30.394
And,

920
00:29:30.796 --> 00:29:31.117
and when,

921
00:29:31.214 --> 00:29:32.855
when that time rolls around,

922
00:29:33.199 --> 00:29:33.441
you know,

923
00:29:33.496 --> 00:29:34.121
check us out.

924
00:29:34.183 --> 00:29:34.597
Cause we're gonna,

925
00:29:34.621 --> 00:29:34.738
we,

926
00:29:35.043 --> 00:29:36.839
we try to do things on a national level.

927
00:29:36.863 --> 00:29:39.621
We want to get kids excited about writing thank you letters.

928
00:29:40.222 --> 00:29:40.566
And then,

929
00:29:41.542 --> 00:29:41.792
you know,

930
00:29:41.808 --> 00:29:46.855
we had one year where we had all the kids write to our people in our community.

931
00:29:46.917 --> 00:29:49.167
We had not only our first responders,

932
00:29:49.199 --> 00:29:50.636
but we had people write to our,

933
00:29:51.417 --> 00:29:52.605
our garbage collectors,

934
00:29:52.636 --> 00:29:54.105
our clerks at the stores,

935
00:29:54.136 --> 00:29:54.636
our doctors.

936
00:29:54.662 --> 00:29:55.143
Doctors are,

937
00:29:55.323 --> 00:29:55.563
you know,

938
00:29:55.564 --> 00:29:59.165
they would write a letter and we actually had them come up and pick up the letters.

939
00:29:59.184 --> 00:30:05.153
So it was a really wonderful way of getting the community involved and thanking the community for the things that they would do.

940
00:30:05.309 --> 00:30:05.434
So,

941
00:30:05.934 --> 00:30:06.255
again,

942
00:30:06.974 --> 00:30:13.075
let's let's figure out how we can get our kids to write these very simple letters and it doesn't have to be complicated.

943
00:30:13.403 --> 00:30:15.169
You never know what that does in somebody's life,

944
00:30:15.278 --> 00:30:15.559
you know,

945
00:30:16.122 --> 00:30:17.981
from the lowest worker to the highest.

946
00:30:18.684 --> 00:30:20.403
I'm in this thing where I thank everybody.

947
00:30:20.434 --> 00:30:20.559
Right.

948
00:30:20.560 --> 00:30:20.794
I mean,

949
00:30:21.028 --> 00:30:22.044
I go through McDonald's.

950
00:30:22.462 --> 00:30:23.804
And when the person gives you my food,

951
00:30:23.843 --> 00:30:24.044
I say,

952
00:30:24.104 --> 00:30:24.404
thank you.

953
00:30:24.405 --> 00:30:25.044
I appreciate you.

954
00:30:25.064 --> 00:30:26.364
Thank you for the awesome job that you do.

955
00:30:26.466 --> 00:30:32.755
And I mean that because you don't have to have a million dollar job all the time to be to thank somebody.

956
00:30:33.450 --> 00:30:35.318
Every piece of life fits in somewhere.

957
00:30:35.536 --> 00:30:37.216
If you don't have the people to work at McDonald's,

958
00:30:37.217 --> 00:30:38.380
then you don't have any fast food.

959
00:30:38.443 --> 00:30:40.958
So I don't think any job is menial.

960
00:30:41.021 --> 00:30:44.318
I think every job is as equally important as the next,

961
00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:45.661
no matter how much money you make.

962
00:30:46.068 --> 00:30:48.786
And I think we should show more gratitude back to people.

963
00:30:49.911 --> 00:30:50.583
I totally agree.

964
00:30:50.630 --> 00:30:51.130
New York.

965
00:30:51.318 --> 00:30:51.458
Yep.

966
00:30:51.726 --> 00:30:52.407
100%.

967
00:30:52.408 --> 00:30:53.808
And if we can get our kids to do that,

968
00:30:53.847 --> 00:30:54.589
and again,

969
00:30:54.590 --> 00:30:56.613
in the guise of a simple letter,

970
00:30:56.671 --> 00:30:57.574
wouldn't that be something?

971
00:30:57.914 --> 00:31:00.035
You're going through the checkout,

972
00:31:00.113 --> 00:31:01.074
standing there at

973
00:31:02.535 --> 00:31:04.636
McDonald's, and you hand someone a letter and says,

974
00:31:04.722 --> 00:31:06.839
thank you for giving me that.

975
00:31:06.863 --> 00:31:07.144
I mean,

976
00:31:07.285 --> 00:31:07.519
wow,

977
00:31:07.597 --> 00:31:08.769
would that not make your day?

978
00:31:08.816 --> 00:31:10.488
Talk about paying it forward.

979
00:31:10.847 --> 00:31:11.722
So with all of that,

980
00:31:11.910 --> 00:31:13.410
let's go to this next question here.

981
00:31:14.316 --> 00:31:16.832
How do you feel that we can live a legacy life?

982
00:31:17.506 --> 00:31:17.666
Well,

983
00:31:17.966 --> 00:31:19.786
let's sort of break down the idea of legacy,

984
00:31:19.947 --> 00:31:20.187
right?

985
00:31:20.188 --> 00:31:25.845
The idea of legacy is so much about what it usually pertains to what we're leaving behind.

986
00:31:26.869 --> 00:31:28.587
And so it's usually at the end of the day,

987
00:31:28.665 --> 00:31:29.509
at the end of life,

988
00:31:29.525 --> 00:31:30.533
at whatever the case is.

989
00:31:30.845 --> 00:31:33.556
And one of the epiphanies that I had was,

990
00:31:34.056 --> 00:31:34.197
well,

991
00:31:34.228 --> 00:31:34.994
wait a second.

992
00:31:35.728 --> 00:31:38.384
Why are we waiting to sum it all up?

993
00:31:38.525 --> 00:31:39.275
Why don't we,

994
00:31:39.994 --> 00:31:41.853
and I'm a big fan of walk your talk,

995
00:31:42.525 --> 00:31:42.869
you know,

996
00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:46.587
why don't we make our legacy what it is right at that moment?

997
00:31:46.734 --> 00:31:47.054
You know,

998
00:31:47.894 --> 00:31:51.994
the person that you want to be is the person you should be showing to the world.

999
00:31:52.174 --> 00:31:52.494
Again,

1000
00:31:52.697 --> 00:31:53.916
especially with our kids,

1001
00:31:54.732 --> 00:32:00.193
which is so important that we're walking the talk for our kids and showing them right there.

1002
00:32:01.013 --> 00:32:05.701
So that I call a living legacy as opposed to legacy,

1003
00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:07.435
which is I love the word legacy.

1004
00:32:07.857 --> 00:32:10.123
But a living legacy is one that you're actually,

1005
00:32:11.295 --> 00:32:11.576
you know,

1006
00:32:11.967 --> 00:32:13.123
you're showing the world.

1007
00:32:13.342 --> 00:32:15.967
This is what I these are the values.

1008
00:32:16.350 --> 00:32:17.352
I uphold these,

1009
00:32:17.471 --> 00:32:23.418
then this is the way that I want to be true to myself and true to other people.

1010
00:32:23.419 --> 00:32:26.539
I think that's important because Michael Jackson wrote a song called History.

1011
00:32:27.703 --> 00:32:28.625
And it's about legacy,

1012
00:32:28.781 --> 00:32:30.164
but in that song he says,

1013
00:32:30.305 --> 00:32:31.844
every day creates a history.

1014
00:32:32.086 --> 00:32:33.000
And he wanted people to know,

1015
00:32:33.703 --> 00:32:34.422
like you just said,

1016
00:32:34.547 --> 00:32:35.453
don't wait to the end.

1017
00:32:35.688 --> 00:32:38.031
Everything you do now is a history.

1018
00:32:38.094 --> 00:32:40.234
It should be recorded so that people behind you,

1019
00:32:40.250 --> 00:32:41.672
that come from behind you,

1020
00:32:41.719 --> 00:32:43.672
knows what happened to you and how it goes.

1021
00:32:44.318 --> 00:32:45.619
So I'm really big into that,

1022
00:32:45.659 --> 00:32:45.820
too.

1023
00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:46.780
For Christmas,

1024
00:32:46.820 --> 00:32:48.042
I gave my family,

1025
00:32:48.043 --> 00:32:48.280
I said,

1026
00:32:48.323 --> 00:32:51.284
I'm not giving you guys tangible things this year.

1027
00:32:51.366 --> 00:32:52.866
This year we're doing experiences.

1028
00:32:53.429 --> 00:32:57.070
Pick whatever experience you want to do with me and I'll get it done.

1029
00:32:57.132 --> 00:32:58.609
Because the fact that in the end,

1030
00:32:58.773 --> 00:33:00.210
all we have is memories.

1031
00:33:00.718 --> 00:33:02.718
So I may buy you a PS5,

1032
00:33:03.218 --> 00:33:04.343
but that could break tomorrow.

1033
00:33:04.484 --> 00:33:05.843
But when I'm not here anymore,

1034
00:33:05.859 --> 00:33:06.452
you can look back and say,

1035
00:33:06.453 --> 00:33:06.905
you know what?

1036
00:33:07.484 --> 00:33:08.437
I went here with dad.

1037
00:33:08.499 --> 00:33:09.796
This is my Christmas gift that year.

1038
00:33:09.797 --> 00:33:10.546
And it means a lot.

1039
00:33:10.609 --> 00:33:11.249
So I really do.

1040
00:33:11.826 --> 00:33:14.507
I'm starting to hone into these kind of things the older I become now.

1041
00:33:14.888 --> 00:33:15.827
Isn't that interesting?

1042
00:33:17.065 --> 00:33:18.409
There's the operative phrase,

1043
00:33:18.410 --> 00:33:19.409
the older we become,

1044
00:33:19.847 --> 00:33:23.167
the more we realize that these material things are just that.

1045
00:33:23.229 --> 00:33:23.745
They break.

1046
00:33:24.151 --> 00:33:24.870
They go away.

1047
00:33:25.011 --> 00:33:26.190
They whatever.

1048
00:33:26.253 --> 00:33:27.667
But these memories you build.

1049
00:33:27.784 --> 00:33:27.909
And,

1050
00:33:28.456 --> 00:33:28.737
you know,

1051
00:33:29.393 --> 00:33:30.987
it's an interesting part of the book,

1052
00:33:31.206 --> 00:33:31.534
David.

1053
00:33:31.643 --> 00:33:33.675
And maybe you can speak to it,

1054
00:33:33.706 --> 00:33:33.878
too,

1055
00:33:33.909 --> 00:33:35.628
because I don't know how much of it you read.

1056
00:33:36.331 --> 00:33:40.737
But memory is so powerful to...

1057
00:33:44.477 --> 00:33:45.696
how we process legacy.

1058
00:33:45.817 --> 00:33:46.919
And what I mean by that,

1059
00:33:47.938 --> 00:33:49.681
there's an extraordinary letter in the book.

1060
00:33:50.540 --> 00:33:57.352
And literally this man has memories that of his interaction with his kids,

1061
00:33:57.673 --> 00:33:59.032
he's never going to have.

1062
00:33:59.407 --> 00:34:04.641
He created memories out of whole cloth of something that didn't exist.

1063
00:34:04.673 --> 00:34:06.845
And it was one of the most moving letters to write,

1064
00:34:07.173 --> 00:34:08.376
sort of stumbled upon it.

1065
00:34:09.126 --> 00:34:10.235
And it's like,

1066
00:34:10.414 --> 00:34:11.976
I will never have this with you,

1067
00:34:11.996 --> 00:34:12.637
but if I did,

1068
00:34:12.697 --> 00:34:13.896
this is what it would look like.

1069
00:34:14.557 --> 00:34:15.721
So what were your thoughts?

1070
00:34:17.021 --> 00:34:19.482
Did the memory part really come through in the book for you?

1071
00:34:19.740 --> 00:34:20.240
It did.

1072
00:34:20.467 --> 00:34:21.506
And most importantly,

1073
00:34:21.545 --> 00:34:29.678
because we've had some people recently in our family and friends that have suffered from Alzheimer's and other memory loss situations.

1074
00:34:30.358 --> 00:34:31.379
And I started thinking,

1075
00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:31.879
I'm like,

1076
00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:32.199
man,

1077
00:34:32.221 --> 00:34:32.481
you know,

1078
00:34:32.520 --> 00:34:33.362
because my wife's like,

1079
00:34:33.381 --> 00:34:33.522
man,

1080
00:34:33.523 --> 00:34:36.764
I remember when this person did this and we did all of these things,

1081
00:34:36.803 --> 00:34:38.209
but now they don't remember anything.

1082
00:34:38.647 --> 00:34:39.108
And I was like,

1083
00:34:39.170 --> 00:34:40.030
wouldn't it have been great?

1084
00:34:40.569 --> 00:34:40.865
Now,

1085
00:34:40.889 --> 00:34:41.772
just after reading your book,

1086
00:34:41.826 --> 00:34:41.951
like,

1087
00:34:41.952 --> 00:34:43.912
wouldn't it have been great if they would have wrote all this stuff down?

1088
00:34:44.772 --> 00:34:47.115
Because now the things that they want to convey to you,

1089
00:34:47.897 --> 00:34:49.037
they can't anymore.

1090
00:34:49.272 --> 00:34:51.694
But these are things they would want you to know.

1091
00:34:52.444 --> 00:34:56.803
So that hit me extremely hard and got me thinking of what if one day I did lose.

1092
00:34:57.422 --> 00:34:58.303
All my memories,

1093
00:34:58.983 --> 00:35:00.665
maybe I start now writing them all down.

1094
00:35:00.706 --> 00:35:02.368
So when I don't remember them,

1095
00:35:02.369 --> 00:35:02.848
you can come and say,

1096
00:35:02.849 --> 00:35:02.969
well,

1097
00:35:02.970 --> 00:35:05.430
remember we went to Knott's Berry Farm on this day and we did this,

1098
00:35:05.454 --> 00:35:05.571
that,

1099
00:35:05.572 --> 00:35:06.110
and other thing.

1100
00:35:06.813 --> 00:35:08.016
Get into a simple car crash.

1101
00:35:08.032 --> 00:35:08.149
Now,

1102
00:35:08.150 --> 00:35:09.274
you don't have to be old to do this.

1103
00:35:09.275 --> 00:35:09.837
A lot of people think,

1104
00:35:09.876 --> 00:35:09.993
oh,

1105
00:35:10.032 --> 00:35:10.774
that's an old person.

1106
00:35:11.157 --> 00:35:11.274
No,

1107
00:35:11.438 --> 00:35:13.157
if you simply get into a car crash,

1108
00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:13.844
God forbid,

1109
00:35:13.938 --> 00:35:15.532
and you hit your head the right way,

1110
00:35:15.938 --> 00:35:16.766
you have amnesia.

1111
00:35:16.876 --> 00:35:18.798
And sometimes your memories never,

1112
00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:21.907
ever come back or you just get a snippet of that.

1113
00:35:22.454 --> 00:35:24.266
So that did hit me extremely hard.

1114
00:35:24.329 --> 00:35:26.173
And I hope the other readers.

1115
00:35:26.650 --> 00:35:29.151
it does to make them think that,

1116
00:35:29.391 --> 00:35:29.671
you know,

1117
00:35:29.850 --> 00:35:31.530
our memory is not guaranteed to us anymore.

1118
00:35:31.772 --> 00:35:32.491
Maybe we separate these.

1119
00:35:33.171 --> 00:35:33.690
Yeah,

1120
00:35:33.850 --> 00:35:33.991
yeah,

1121
00:35:34.053 --> 00:35:34.190
yeah,

1122
00:35:34.253 --> 00:35:34.393
yeah.

1123
00:35:34.432 --> 00:35:34.952
I like that.

1124
00:35:34.975 --> 00:35:35.249
You know,

1125
00:35:35.389 --> 00:35:36.249
I just had an idea.

1126
00:35:36.850 --> 00:35:38.733
Here's like the national thank you letter,

1127
00:35:38.734 --> 00:35:39.257
but it's not.

1128
00:35:39.733 --> 00:35:39.889
But,

1129
00:35:40.272 --> 00:35:40.514
you know,

1130
00:35:40.991 --> 00:35:47.077
one of the biggest barriers to writing something down is the blank page syndrome,

1131
00:35:47.078 --> 00:35:47.733
what I call the blank.

1132
00:35:47.749 --> 00:35:47.967
You know,

1133
00:35:47.968 --> 00:35:49.202
you see that white page.

1134
00:35:49.952 --> 00:35:50.077
Oh,

1135
00:35:50.202 --> 00:35:50.655
my God.

1136
00:35:50.936 --> 00:35:51.217
Or yeah,

1137
00:35:51.280 --> 00:35:52.733
I just I don't write,

1138
00:35:52.734 --> 00:35:52.952
you know,

1139
00:35:52.999 --> 00:35:54.014
everyone's all I said,

1140
00:35:54.171 --> 00:35:54.342
oh,

1141
00:35:54.374 --> 00:35:54.499
no,

1142
00:35:54.561 --> 00:35:55.389
don't worry about that.

1143
00:35:55.561 --> 00:35:55.983
Just.

1144
00:35:56.306 --> 00:35:56.706
Tell us,

1145
00:35:56.847 --> 00:35:58.347
tell what you need to say,

1146
00:35:58.548 --> 00:35:58.808
right?

1147
00:35:58.968 --> 00:36:02.070
And not only is it the blank page syndrome,

1148
00:36:02.253 --> 00:36:02.531
it's,

1149
00:36:02.812 --> 00:36:02.953
well,

1150
00:36:02.954 --> 00:36:05.617
that sounds like a lot of work and all these things.

1151
00:36:05.937 --> 00:36:09.257
But what if you were to do it once a month,

1152
00:36:09.476 --> 00:36:09.703
once,

1153
00:36:09.937 --> 00:36:12.038
let's make it even easier.

1154
00:36:12.570 --> 00:36:13.585
Every other month,

1155
00:36:14.117 --> 00:36:15.163
the first day of the month,

1156
00:36:15.507 --> 00:36:16.351
you just put down

1157
00:36:17.945 --> 00:36:18.710
20 minutes.

1158
00:36:19.288 --> 00:36:20.788
I'm going to spend writing this one thing.

1159
00:36:20.851 --> 00:36:22.538
And you come up with six topics,

1160
00:36:22.585 --> 00:36:22.820
right?

1161
00:36:22.867 --> 00:36:23.398
For the year.

1162
00:36:23.788 --> 00:36:24.257
That's it.

1163
00:36:25.070 --> 00:36:25.835
And you write them down.

1164
00:36:26.598 --> 00:36:27.699
That's so dual.

1165
00:36:27.719 --> 00:36:30.623
The bar is so low to do that.

1166
00:36:30.963 --> 00:36:35.787
And what I like about these type of ideas is that generally you'll do more than 20 minutes,

1167
00:36:35.865 --> 00:36:36.029
right?

1168
00:36:36.030 --> 00:36:38.826
You set it so low that you can't not,

1169
00:36:40.193 --> 00:36:40.889
you won't fail.

1170
00:36:41.795 --> 00:36:43.810
And you'll actually start to write these things down.

1171
00:36:44.498 --> 00:36:47.060
And I think what it does is it's sort of like,

1172
00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:49.248
it starts to pull at the yarn and,

1173
00:36:49.295 --> 00:36:50.045
oh my gosh,

1174
00:36:50.060 --> 00:36:51.748
there's more and more and more and more and more.

1175
00:36:52.217 --> 00:36:55.232
And then you become enamored of the idea and it becomes habit.

1176
00:36:55.970 --> 00:36:59.290
So I think it's an interesting idea to play with.

1177
00:36:59.931 --> 00:37:02.072
So we talk a lot here about gratitude,

1178
00:37:02.251 --> 00:37:03.912
which is what all this is around.

1179
00:37:04.810 --> 00:37:07.974
What do you think is the link between gratitude and mental health?

1180
00:37:08.537 --> 00:37:08.693
Oh,

1181
00:37:09.013 --> 00:37:09.372
gosh,

1182
00:37:09.872 --> 00:37:10.357
a ton.

1183
00:37:11.810 --> 00:37:13.888
It's really fascinating reading the studies on this.

1184
00:37:14.357 --> 00:37:14.810
For example,

1185
00:37:14.811 --> 00:37:19.560
the act of doing something with gratitude with somebody else,

1186
00:37:21.122 --> 00:37:24.638
it increases your happiness.

1187
00:37:25.158 --> 00:37:27.240
by 15 to 20%.

1188
00:37:27.601 --> 00:37:28.460
These are studies.

1189
00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:32.003
And it decreases your depression by about

1190
00:37:32.425 --> 00:37:32.667
30%.

1191
00:37:33.964 --> 00:37:34.511
And I was like,

1192
00:37:34.824 --> 00:37:35.191
wow,

1193
00:37:36.386 --> 00:37:38.167
this is the fountain of youth right here.

1194
00:37:38.714 --> 00:37:42.761
Just conceiving of acts of gratitude.

1195
00:37:43.277 --> 00:37:46.261
And one of the interesting things,

1196
00:37:48.136 --> 00:37:52.527
the catchphrase is practicing gratitude.

1197
00:37:53.167 --> 00:37:53.370
I go,

1198
00:37:53.371 --> 00:37:53.480
eh.

1199
00:37:55.174 --> 00:37:56.775
I like to do gratitude,

1200
00:37:57.015 --> 00:37:57.297
right?

1201
00:38:00.519 --> 00:38:04.566
And so it's literally finding ways throughout the day.

1202
00:38:04.644 --> 00:38:04.824
Like,

1203
00:38:04.863 --> 00:38:05.707
for example,

1204
00:38:06.066 --> 00:38:07.746
here at the end of the day,

1205
00:38:08.769 --> 00:38:11.215
I'll say a sort of a quick prayer to myself.

1206
00:38:11.246 --> 00:38:12.043
It's not even a prayer.

1207
00:38:12.044 --> 00:38:13.840
It's almost like a little meditation question.

1208
00:38:13.871 --> 00:38:14.011
Like,

1209
00:38:14.277 --> 00:38:14.449
hey,

1210
00:38:14.949 --> 00:38:16.199
did you do a good job today?

1211
00:38:16.230 --> 00:38:17.215
Were you a good person?

1212
00:38:17.261 --> 00:38:19.793
Did you do something to help the world,

1213
00:38:19.824 --> 00:38:20.980
to help whatever the case is?

1214
00:38:20.996 --> 00:38:22.136
It doesn't have to be huge.

1215
00:38:22.502 --> 00:38:22.963
And at the end,

1216
00:38:22.964 --> 00:38:23.283
they say,

1217
00:38:23.284 --> 00:38:23.523
well,

1218
00:38:23.843 --> 00:38:23.984
no,

1219
00:38:24.564 --> 00:38:24.824
yeah,

1220
00:38:25.064 --> 00:38:25.304
okay,

1221
00:38:25.445 --> 00:38:25.605
well,

1222
00:38:25.666 --> 00:38:26.828
maybe we need to do that tomorrow.

1223
00:38:26.925 --> 00:38:27.707
Start again anew.

1224
00:38:28.507 --> 00:38:30.070
And I try to teach kids about this.

1225
00:38:30.148 --> 00:38:30.410
You know,

1226
00:38:30.449 --> 00:38:30.730
it's like,

1227
00:38:30.731 --> 00:38:30.871
hey,

1228
00:38:30.910 --> 00:38:32.394
did you do something really nice today?

1229
00:38:32.472 --> 00:38:32.691
Yeah,

1230
00:38:33.433 --> 00:38:33.574
yeah,

1231
00:38:33.613 --> 00:38:33.910
I did.

1232
00:38:34.152 --> 00:38:35.175
I said hello to somebody.

1233
00:38:35.238 --> 00:38:35.535
I said,

1234
00:38:35.536 --> 00:38:35.652
no,

1235
00:38:35.653 --> 00:38:35.777
no,

1236
00:38:35.793 --> 00:38:35.918
no,

1237
00:38:35.972 --> 00:38:36.238
you know,

1238
00:38:36.254 --> 00:38:36.996
whatever the case is,

1239
00:38:36.997 --> 00:38:38.355
I helped someone across the street,

1240
00:38:38.433 --> 00:38:40.136
whatever the act may be.

1241
00:38:40.652 --> 00:38:45.886
And so I think that's the doing of it and reminding ourselves that it's important to do.

1242
00:38:46.964 --> 00:38:50.449
So the link between gratitude and mental health is just huge.

1243
00:38:50.450 --> 00:38:51.308
And you feel better.

1244
00:38:51.714 --> 00:38:51.824
Who

1245
00:38:52.226 --> 00:38:56.389
doesn't feel better when you smile at somebody or say good morning.

1246
00:38:56.611 --> 00:38:58.150
That is an act of gratitude.

1247
00:38:58.951 --> 00:39:00.033
And it's a conscious act.

1248
00:39:00.096 --> 00:39:01.338
You don't have to say it.

1249
00:39:02.939 --> 00:39:04.400
But if you go out of your way to say it,

1250
00:39:04.658 --> 00:39:05.096
there it is.

1251
00:39:05.158 --> 00:39:06.299
There's the human connection.

1252
00:39:07.299 --> 00:39:09.182
There's the thank you letter being received.

1253
00:39:09.479 --> 00:39:11.072
It's what we want as human beings.

1254
00:39:11.073 --> 00:39:12.604
We want to connect.

1255
00:39:13.041 --> 00:39:14.729
And in that connection,

1256
00:39:15.463 --> 00:39:18.635
people receive it and it uplifts people.

1257
00:39:19.025 --> 00:39:19.291
Gosh,

1258
00:39:19.307 --> 00:39:20.135
if we're all doing that,

1259
00:39:20.432 --> 00:39:21.041
we're uplifting.

1260
00:39:21.278 --> 00:39:21.619
everybody.

1261
00:39:21.639 --> 00:39:23.404
And I'm a glass half full guy.

1262
00:39:24.066 --> 00:39:27.334
I always like to say glass half empty begins to evaporate.

1263
00:39:27.635 --> 00:39:29.595
A glass half full starts to fill up.

1264
00:39:29.658 --> 00:39:29.783
So.

1265
00:39:30.469 --> 00:39:30.829
I don't know.

1266
00:39:30.989 --> 00:39:33.931
That's my little twist on it.

1267
00:39:34.309 --> 00:39:34.470
Well,

1268
00:39:34.509 --> 00:39:38.270
I think it also goes to everybody wants to feel important and appreciated.

1269
00:39:39.095 --> 00:39:44.134
And I think that's the one reason why the company I work for retains so many people.

1270
00:39:44.470 --> 00:39:47.673
And you can tell that it's genuine because they thank us all the time.

1271
00:39:48.220 --> 00:39:50.657
They do little things to make sure that we're the most important.

1272
00:39:50.658 --> 00:39:51.220
And they always tell us,

1273
00:39:51.221 --> 00:39:51.407
hey,

1274
00:39:51.876 --> 00:39:52.329
without you,

1275
00:39:52.376 --> 00:39:53.360
we don't have any company.

1276
00:39:53.361 --> 00:39:54.095
We don't have a company.

1277
00:39:54.610 --> 00:39:55.001
Thank you.

1278
00:39:55.376 --> 00:39:57.579
And I've worked a lot of jobs in my life.

1279
00:39:58.079 --> 00:39:58.454
and

1280
00:39:58.905 --> 00:40:00.226
This is the one company that I'm like,

1281
00:40:00.427 --> 00:40:00.707
man,

1282
00:40:00.968 --> 00:40:02.710
even after all the thousand points they have,

1283
00:40:02.729 --> 00:40:03.288
when I first,

1284
00:40:03.289 --> 00:40:05.190
when I signed up for this company seven years ago,

1285
00:40:05.870 --> 00:40:07.253
my name was on this big board.

1286
00:40:07.254 --> 00:40:07.534
I'm like,

1287
00:40:07.597 --> 00:40:08.651
welcome to all of the new,

1288
00:40:09.136 --> 00:40:09.378
you know,

1289
00:40:09.432 --> 00:40:09.995
employees.

1290
00:40:09.996 --> 00:40:10.315
I'm like,

1291
00:40:10.354 --> 00:40:10.698
wow,

1292
00:40:10.815 --> 00:40:12.597
they really care about who I am.

1293
00:40:12.636 --> 00:40:14.604
No one ever really cares in the corporate world.

1294
00:40:14.948 --> 00:40:15.182
Yeah.

1295
00:40:15.526 --> 00:40:18.792
Look at the power of a simple thank you and please.

1296
00:40:19.511 --> 00:40:19.792
I mean,

1297
00:40:20.089 --> 00:40:21.511
it can't be understated.

1298
00:40:21.526 --> 00:40:22.261
I know we just say,

1299
00:40:22.401 --> 00:40:22.526
oh,

1300
00:40:22.651 --> 00:40:22.964
thank you.

1301
00:40:23.104 --> 00:40:23.745
It's important.

1302
00:40:24.026 --> 00:40:24.151
No,

1303
00:40:24.432 --> 00:40:25.589
it is vital.

1304
00:40:26.167 --> 00:40:26.870
It's like.

1305
00:40:27.369 --> 00:40:37.940
this incredible oil that just makes people move better together and with each other and the whole framework of humanity.

1306
00:40:38.003 --> 00:40:38.237
I mean,

1307
00:40:38.620 --> 00:40:39.620
it comes down to,

1308
00:40:40.206 --> 00:40:40.479
that's,

1309
00:40:41.081 --> 00:40:41.401
to me,

1310
00:40:41.581 --> 00:40:46.003
one of the bedrocks of civilization is this kindness and gratitude.

1311
00:40:46.503 --> 00:40:49.143
And when we see people,

1312
00:40:49.518 --> 00:40:51.518
and I loathe to say this,

1313
00:40:51.534 --> 00:40:52.471
but in this day and age,

1314
00:40:52.472 --> 00:40:54.393
when we're trying to find so many,

1315
00:40:54.862 --> 00:40:55.221
so much.

1316
00:40:55.561 --> 00:40:57.763
anger and differences combined together,

1317
00:40:58.585 --> 00:40:59.944
it doesn't make people feel good.

1318
00:41:00.046 --> 00:41:00.304
Well,

1319
00:41:00.444 --> 00:41:02.167
what's the opposite of that?

1320
00:41:02.206 --> 00:41:07.976
The opposite is kindness and gratitude and these things that we do for each other.

1321
00:41:08.476 --> 00:41:12.780
And that speaks volumes to why it still works.

1322
00:41:13.280 --> 00:41:15.202
And it is a timeless value.

1323
00:41:15.499 --> 00:41:16.405
It's a timeless trait.

1324
00:41:16.515 --> 00:41:17.827
And as you said yourself,

1325
00:41:17.921 --> 00:41:19.187
just to be acknowledged,

1326
00:41:19.499 --> 00:41:20.124
oh my gosh,

1327
00:41:20.171 --> 00:41:20.858
by a major,

1328
00:41:21.249 --> 00:41:22.265
a worldwide company,

1329
00:41:22.266 --> 00:41:23.608
and they say your name and they say,

1330
00:41:23.733 --> 00:41:24.108
thank you.

1331
00:41:24.546 --> 00:41:24.687
Oh.

1332
00:41:24.861 --> 00:41:25.221
Gosh,

1333
00:41:25.762 --> 00:41:28.644
I think I'm going to start working for her.

1334
00:41:28.645 --> 00:41:29.265
So all that said,

1335
00:41:29.266 --> 00:41:30.386
you wrote a fabulous book.

1336
00:41:31.086 --> 00:41:32.207
I've really been enjoying it.

1337
00:41:32.851 --> 00:41:38.617
Can you tell us in the audience why you feel people should go out and read the legacy letters?

1338
00:41:39.172 --> 00:41:39.297
Well,

1339
00:41:39.312 --> 00:41:40.093
first of all,

1340
00:41:40.500 --> 00:41:42.812
you've come up with some really good questions that make me...

1341
00:41:44.718 --> 00:41:45.640
That's your job.

1342
00:41:46.187 --> 00:41:48.703
Why someone should read the legacy letters.

1343
00:41:50.089 --> 00:41:52.431
I don't think I've ever been asked that either.

1344
00:41:52.472 --> 00:41:55.275
So we got two first in this interview.

1345
00:41:58.517 --> 00:42:02.900
I think if you are looking to,

1346
00:42:04.446 --> 00:42:04.704
if you,

1347
00:42:04.962 --> 00:42:07.150
this is so funny,

1348
00:42:07.151 --> 00:42:09.790
because it's,

1349
00:42:10.212 --> 00:42:10.743
you want it,

1350
00:42:11.556 --> 00:42:12.650
I don't want a simple,

1351
00:42:12.696 --> 00:42:14.868
I don't want a pat answer like,

1352
00:42:14.978 --> 00:42:15.087
oh,

1353
00:42:15.134 --> 00:42:16.087
this is a great book.

1354
00:42:16.118 --> 00:42:16.931
You're going to love it,

1355
00:42:16.962 --> 00:42:17.337
you know?

1356
00:42:18.253 --> 00:42:20.594
And you're going to walk away and have a hundred copies.

1357
00:42:20.753 --> 00:42:20.874
No,

1358
00:42:20.954 --> 00:42:21.374
you know what?

1359
00:42:21.413 --> 00:42:21.835
Wait a second.

1360
00:42:21.954 --> 00:42:22.233
I will,

1361
00:42:22.854 --> 00:42:23.874
let me tell you a story.

1362
00:42:23.932 --> 00:42:25.253
This will,

1363
00:42:26.053 --> 00:42:31.776
I think this will help you understand why people have gravitated toward the book.

1364
00:42:31.979 --> 00:42:34.792
And so I was at a book signing.

1365
00:42:36.323 --> 00:42:40.042
I've done a lovely number of them around the U.S.

1366
00:42:40.043 --> 00:42:40.745
and around the world.

1367
00:42:41.885 --> 00:42:43.479
It's a great privilege to be able to sign books.

1368
00:42:43.480 --> 00:42:44.792
And this was at Barnes & Noble.

1369
00:42:45.245 --> 00:42:46.276
It was a beautiful day.

1370
00:42:46.845 --> 00:42:47.865
Hardly anybody was in there,

1371
00:42:47.866 --> 00:42:49.526
but there was this mother and son.

1372
00:42:49.946 --> 00:42:54.628
And the son was on his phone and he was a teenager and whatnot.

1373
00:42:54.725 --> 00:42:57.089
So as you can imagine,

1374
00:42:57.167 --> 00:42:57.628
probably

1375
00:42:58.151 --> 00:43:03.464
I'm not one of those quiet authors that sits there and wait for people to come up so I can say.

1376
00:43:04.682 --> 00:43:07.417
I literally track people down in the store.

1377
00:43:08.354 --> 00:43:09.151
I wave to them.

1378
00:43:09.167 --> 00:43:09.370
I say,

1379
00:43:09.432 --> 00:43:09.807
hey,

1380
00:43:11.292 --> 00:43:12.323
you want to come over here?

1381
00:43:12.324 --> 00:43:12.854
And they're like,

1382
00:43:12.855 --> 00:43:12.964
oh,

1383
00:43:13.026 --> 00:43:13.557
my God.

1384
00:43:14.573 --> 00:43:14.833
All right,

1385
00:43:14.873 --> 00:43:15.494
come over here.

1386
00:43:15.534 --> 00:43:16.675
I'm not a scary author.

1387
00:43:16.934 --> 00:43:18.477
Come over here and I'll tell you a little bit.

1388
00:43:18.817 --> 00:43:21.618
And she sheepishly walks over and her son follows.

1389
00:43:22.442 --> 00:43:23.438
And she says,

1390
00:43:23.563 --> 00:43:23.806
okay,

1391
00:43:23.860 --> 00:43:24.845
what's your book about?

1392
00:43:25.845 --> 00:43:27.188
And I explained to her what it was about.

1393
00:43:27.907 --> 00:43:28.384
And she goes,

1394
00:43:28.485 --> 00:43:28.610
oh,

1395
00:43:28.649 --> 00:43:29.431
that's interesting.

1396
00:43:29.446 --> 00:43:29.868
And I said,

1397
00:43:30.165 --> 00:43:30.329
oh,

1398
00:43:30.509 --> 00:43:32.431
let me pull the interesting knife out of my back.

1399
00:43:32.665 --> 00:43:33.087
Oh,

1400
00:43:33.088 --> 00:43:33.212
yeah,

1401
00:43:33.368 --> 00:43:33.571
right,

1402
00:43:33.649 --> 00:43:34.259
interesting.

1403
00:43:35.212 --> 00:43:35.337
So

1404
00:43:36.040 --> 00:43:36.368
I said,

1405
00:43:36.759 --> 00:43:39.806
I'm going to do something that's never been done in the history of publishing.

1406
00:43:40.977 --> 00:43:42.727
I am going to guarantee this book.

1407
00:43:43.540 --> 00:43:43.727
Ooh.

1408
00:43:44.081 --> 00:43:44.602
She just like,

1409
00:43:45.143 --> 00:43:45.982
guarantee this book?

1410
00:43:46.004 --> 00:43:47.385
What do you mean guarantee this book?

1411
00:43:47.664 --> 00:43:47.984
I said,

1412
00:43:48.426 --> 00:43:52.148
I guarantee if you pick up this book and read one page,

1413
00:43:52.172 --> 00:43:54.250
you will turn to the next page and the next page and the next page.

1414
00:43:54.313 --> 00:43:54.609
I says,

1415
00:43:54.930 --> 00:43:55.977
if you don't turn to the next page,

1416
00:43:55.978 --> 00:43:56.891
I'll give you your money back.

1417
00:43:57.070 --> 00:43:57.492
And she goes,

1418
00:43:58.078 --> 00:43:58.375
okay.

1419
00:43:58.758 --> 00:43:59.219
And I'm like,

1420
00:43:59.297 --> 00:43:59.516
sure,

1421
00:43:59.594 --> 00:43:59.914
I'll do it.

1422
00:44:00.617 --> 00:44:02.523
So she picks up the book and she starts reading.

1423
00:44:02.524 --> 00:44:03.617
And I turned to the kid and I said,

1424
00:44:03.633 --> 00:44:04.008
you too.

1425
00:44:04.602 --> 00:44:05.180
And he was like,

1426
00:44:05.181 --> 00:44:05.961
I didn't think he'd do it.

1427
00:44:05.962 --> 00:44:06.836
So he did the same.

1428
00:44:06.867 --> 00:44:07.805
He picked up the book.

1429
00:44:08.258 --> 00:44:10.680
So she picks up the book.

1430
00:44:12.945 --> 00:44:15.227
Turns the page,

1431
00:44:15.228 --> 00:44:16.329
turns another page,

1432
00:44:17.048 --> 00:44:17.770
sets it down.

1433
00:44:18.372 --> 00:44:18.911
And she says,

1434
00:44:19.493 --> 00:44:20.153
I'll take two.

1435
00:44:21.052 --> 00:44:21.856
My jaw dropped.

1436
00:44:23.637 --> 00:44:23.755
Oh,

1437
00:44:23.756 --> 00:44:23.934
okay,

1438
00:44:24.239 --> 00:44:24.817
great.

1439
00:44:25.317 --> 00:44:27.880
So she went off to pay for them to come back.

1440
00:44:28.044 --> 00:44:29.622
And I turned to the kid and I said.

1441
00:44:30.278 --> 00:44:30.458
Hey,

1442
00:44:30.839 --> 00:44:31.860
and he was still reading.

1443
00:44:32.600 --> 00:44:32.862
I said,

1444
00:44:32.920 --> 00:44:33.201
hey,

1445
00:44:34.323 --> 00:44:35.104
I got to interrupt you,

1446
00:44:35.105 --> 00:44:36.045
but I don't get it.

1447
00:44:36.065 --> 00:44:36.385
I said,

1448
00:44:38.108 --> 00:44:38.350
you know,

1449
00:44:38.389 --> 00:44:40.147
I appreciate you reading the book and all that,

1450
00:44:40.186 --> 00:44:41.912
but I didn't think you'd continue to read it.

1451
00:44:42.272 --> 00:44:43.194
And he turns to me,

1452
00:44:43.748 --> 00:44:44.795
looks me in the eye and says,

1453
00:44:46.194 --> 00:44:48.350
I don't have a father.

1454
00:44:49.256 --> 00:44:51.365
I wish the guy in this book were my dad.

1455
00:44:52.365 --> 00:44:52.678
Wow.

1456
00:44:54.662 --> 00:44:57.444
And that's that moment.

1457
00:44:58.386 --> 00:44:59.828
I quit being the author.

1458
00:45:00.267 --> 00:45:01.429
I quit being the silly guy.

1459
00:45:01.570 --> 00:45:02.810
I quit being all those things.

1460
00:45:03.630 --> 00:45:04.833
And ever since then,

1461
00:45:05.392 --> 00:45:06.474
I have done this thing where

1462
00:45:07.076 --> 00:45:08.154
I've actually said to people,

1463
00:45:09.099 --> 00:45:09.958
pick up this book,

1464
00:45:10.279 --> 00:45:11.623
turn to any page in the book.

1465
00:45:12.724 --> 00:45:15.005
And more often than not,

1466
00:45:15.068 --> 00:45:17.599
you're going to find something that will move you.

1467
00:45:17.600 --> 00:45:17.880
I had,

1468
00:45:17.927 --> 00:45:18.240
there's a,

1469
00:45:18.365 --> 00:45:21.443
there's a letter in this book called the art of work and working.

1470
00:45:22.787 --> 00:45:24.208
And so I did this thing.

1471
00:45:24.224 --> 00:45:24.458
I said,

1472
00:45:24.474 --> 00:45:25.740
turn to any page in the book.

1473
00:45:26.037 --> 00:45:26.349
and

1474
00:45:26.894 --> 00:45:27.395
And he does,

1475
00:45:27.396 --> 00:45:28.455
and he starts reading and he goes,

1476
00:45:29.676 --> 00:45:29.816
look,

1477
00:45:29.817 --> 00:45:30.840
I'll take four copies.

1478
00:45:30.859 --> 00:45:31.059
I go,

1479
00:45:31.137 --> 00:45:31.539
why?

1480
00:45:31.938 --> 00:45:32.680
What letter were you?

1481
00:45:32.899 --> 00:45:33.160
He says,

1482
00:45:33.161 --> 00:45:34.281
the art of work,

1483
00:45:34.543 --> 00:45:35.145
work and working.

1484
00:45:35.146 --> 00:45:35.324
I said,

1485
00:45:35.801 --> 00:45:36.387
what the heck?

1486
00:45:36.824 --> 00:45:37.465
Why that one?

1487
00:45:37.762 --> 00:45:38.285
It's such a,

1488
00:45:38.426 --> 00:45:38.668
you know,

1489
00:45:38.746 --> 00:45:39.309
down to earth,

1490
00:45:39.324 --> 00:45:39.668
but I mean,

1491
00:45:39.669 --> 00:45:40.465
it's just about working.

1492
00:45:40.466 --> 00:45:40.668
He says,

1493
00:45:41.551 --> 00:45:43.113
I believe in working hard.

1494
00:45:43.145 --> 00:45:44.488
I believe in doing the best you can.

1495
00:45:44.489 --> 00:45:45.629
And these are the words right here.

1496
00:45:45.660 --> 00:45:47.957
And I just got a raise and I just,

1497
00:45:48.082 --> 00:45:51.160
my company or whoever's boss had acknowledged him.

1498
00:45:51.613 --> 00:45:51.973
And he said,

1499
00:45:52.004 --> 00:45:53.035
this is extraordinary.

1500
00:45:53.316 --> 00:45:55.535
I've had people absolutely.

1501
00:45:56.442 --> 00:45:58.443
coming on a book signing or something.

1502
00:45:58.484 --> 00:46:00.447
We're doing this and people are reading that one page.

1503
00:46:00.467 --> 00:46:00.787
And she goes,

1504
00:46:00.846 --> 00:46:01.506
what are you doing?

1505
00:46:01.869 --> 00:46:02.267
And I said,

1506
00:46:02.447 --> 00:46:02.689
here,

1507
00:46:02.787 --> 00:46:03.310
read this book,

1508
00:46:03.408 --> 00:46:03.951
open a page.

1509
00:46:04.049 --> 00:46:06.068
And she burst into tears.

1510
00:46:06.654 --> 00:46:07.014
And I said,

1511
00:46:07.053 --> 00:46:07.310
whoa,

1512
00:46:07.396 --> 00:46:07.670
whoa,

1513
00:46:07.834 --> 00:46:07.975
whoa,

1514
00:46:07.976 --> 00:46:08.490
what's going on?

1515
00:46:08.491 --> 00:46:08.896
She says,

1516
00:46:09.357 --> 00:46:09.576
oh,

1517
00:46:09.935 --> 00:46:14.100
this page is about the love of this and this and this.

1518
00:46:14.101 --> 00:46:14.396
And she says,

1519
00:46:14.443 --> 00:46:15.568
my father just passed away.

1520
00:46:15.569 --> 00:46:17.646
And these are the words he said in the book,

1521
00:46:18.068 --> 00:46:18.600
in your book.

1522
00:46:18.646 --> 00:46:18.959
I just,

1523
00:46:19.068 --> 00:46:21.600
and so it goes on and on and on.

1524
00:46:22.068 --> 00:46:24.396
So I think this book.

1525
00:46:24.922 --> 00:46:26.063
extraordinarily enough,

1526
00:46:26.242 --> 00:46:30.122
has something for everybody and it brings them into themselves.

1527
00:46:30.142 --> 00:46:40.529
It brings them into other people and really it re-inspires us as to the important things in life and living life to the fullest.

1528
00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:41.005
And

1529
00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:43.505
I hope that answers your question.

1530
00:46:43.849 --> 00:46:43.974
Well,

1531
00:46:43.975 --> 00:46:44.802
I'll give you another one.

1532
00:46:44.864 --> 00:46:46.052
I don't know if you've been asked this one.

1533
00:46:47.708 --> 00:46:48.849
To piggyback off of that,

1534
00:46:49.505 --> 00:46:54.505
what do you hope or want readers to take away from the legacy letters.

1535
00:46:54.710 --> 00:46:57.013
I would love if they were able,

1536
00:46:57.333 --> 00:46:57.993
like you,

1537
00:46:58.835 --> 00:47:00.175
to start thinking about,

1538
00:47:00.636 --> 00:47:00.816
hey,

1539
00:47:01.015 --> 00:47:08.683
maybe it's important I write these things down for my own legacy to my kin,

1540
00:47:08.847 --> 00:47:10.800
to my offspring,

1541
00:47:10.863 --> 00:47:11.581
to whomever,

1542
00:47:12.128 --> 00:47:16.691
as a way of saying these are the things that are,

1543
00:47:17.550 --> 00:47:18.706
not were important,

1544
00:47:19.050 --> 00:47:20.753
are important in life to me.

1545
00:47:21.394 --> 00:47:22.097
And I think it's a,

1546
00:47:22.394 --> 00:47:22.722
it's a.

1547
00:47:24.494 --> 00:47:28.698
reaffirming of these values that we have in our life,

1548
00:47:28.717 --> 00:47:30.198
these things that are important to,

1549
00:47:30.518 --> 00:47:35.307
whether it be values or just things that we love to do or things that we want to share.

1550
00:47:35.565 --> 00:47:43.088
I think it's a way of creating a small but important history that people can hold.

1551
00:47:43.713 --> 00:47:44.573
At the end of the day,

1552
00:47:44.698 --> 00:47:44.916
you know,

1553
00:47:44.932 --> 00:47:49.135
you don't go gently into that good night because you've got something here that says,

1554
00:47:49.495 --> 00:47:49.760
hey,

1555
00:47:50.401 --> 00:47:51.948
I've got a written record of...

1556
00:47:52.830 --> 00:47:54.272
the way I walked my talk.

1557
00:47:54.352 --> 00:47:55.934
And I think that's powerful.

1558
00:47:56.793 --> 00:47:58.977
And it doesn't have to be a book.

1559
00:47:59.055 --> 00:48:00.356
It doesn't have to be extraordinary.

1560
00:48:00.418 --> 00:48:05.879
It just has to be something other than this flash through life and all of a sudden you're done.

1561
00:48:05.880 --> 00:48:06.520
Or like you said,

1562
00:48:06.887 --> 00:48:08.489
you lose your memory and then what do you have?

1563
00:48:08.504 --> 00:48:12.583
You have people holding onto memories of you and the memories they have,

1564
00:48:12.584 --> 00:48:14.192
but what about what you wanted to say?

1565
00:48:15.286 --> 00:48:16.348
How powerful is that?

1566
00:48:16.395 --> 00:48:19.083
So I think if there's one takeaway in the book,

1567
00:48:19.114 --> 00:48:19.442
it's just,

1568
00:48:19.458 --> 00:48:19.770
Yeah,

1569
00:48:19.911 --> 00:48:21.723
if we could literally.

1570
00:48:22.438 --> 00:48:28.182
have people sit down and be able to write their own letters or something that holds onto that memory.

1571
00:48:28.463 --> 00:48:29.404
And then people can say,

1572
00:48:29.486 --> 00:48:29.705
guys,

1573
00:48:29.764 --> 00:48:29.904
yeah,

1574
00:48:29.947 --> 00:48:31.127
he was that type of guy.

1575
00:48:31.369 --> 00:48:31.486
Yeah.

1576
00:48:31.510 --> 00:48:32.408
I think that's awesome.

1577
00:48:32.768 --> 00:48:32.885
Um,

1578
00:48:32.947 --> 00:48:38.854
I do want to go back just a smidge because I want to back you up on something in case everybody's wondering,

1579
00:48:38.855 --> 00:48:40.322
like I was earlier,

1580
00:48:40.822 --> 00:48:40.932
uh,

1581
00:48:40.979 --> 00:48:41.572
when we started,

1582
00:48:41.573 --> 00:48:43.072
you was talking about the importance of,

1583
00:48:43.604 --> 00:48:43.713
uh,

1584
00:48:43.776 --> 00:48:44.416
hardback books,

1585
00:48:44.417 --> 00:48:44.572
you know,

1586
00:48:44.573 --> 00:48:45.416
you say Kindle's okay,

1587
00:48:45.541 --> 00:48:46.666
but it's all about the page.

1588
00:48:46.744 --> 00:48:47.369
Uh,

1589
00:48:47.666 --> 00:48:48.963
I can tell you guys firsthand,

1590
00:48:49.026 --> 00:48:49.510
that's true.

1591
00:48:49.588 --> 00:48:50.447
So when Arden,

1592
00:48:50.526 --> 00:48:51.401
who's your publicist,

1593
00:48:51.666 --> 00:48:52.227
Great guy.

1594
00:48:52.667 --> 00:48:53.388
He wrote out to me.

1595
00:48:53.468 --> 00:48:53.768
He's like,

1596
00:48:53.789 --> 00:48:53.988
yeah,

1597
00:48:54.129 --> 00:48:54.369
you know,

1598
00:48:54.370 --> 00:48:55.209
and I contacted him and said,

1599
00:48:55.210 --> 00:48:55.330
yeah,

1600
00:48:55.369 --> 00:48:56.469
Kuru would love to come on the show.

1601
00:48:57.031 --> 00:48:57.453
And I was like,

1602
00:48:57.473 --> 00:48:57.633
yeah,

1603
00:48:57.750 --> 00:48:58.914
can I get a copy of the book?

1604
00:48:59.414 --> 00:49:01.453
You can send it to me digitally if you want.

1605
00:49:01.477 --> 00:49:02.234
That'd be easier.

1606
00:49:02.594 --> 00:49:04.141
And Arden comes back and he simply says,

1607
00:49:04.617 --> 00:49:06.664
Kuru does not do digital books.

1608
00:49:06.742 --> 00:49:07.648
We'll send you a copy.

1609
00:49:12.461 --> 00:49:14.055
That's so cool.

1610
00:49:14.508 --> 00:49:18.195
So I wanted to point out that you don't have a digital copy of this book.

1611
00:49:18.570 --> 00:49:19.898
You didn't make this up for the show.

1612
00:49:20.574 --> 00:49:21.435
Right from in writing,

1613
00:49:21.475 --> 00:49:22.295
I have it still from art.

1614
00:49:22.296 --> 00:49:22.776
And he says,

1615
00:49:22.836 --> 00:49:22.977
yeah,

1616
00:49:23.016 --> 00:49:24.760
Carew doesn't do digital copies.

1617
00:49:25.538 --> 00:49:26.440
That is all.

1618
00:49:26.518 --> 00:49:27.221
That's great.

1619
00:49:27.241 --> 00:49:27.920
I love that.

1620
00:49:28.342 --> 00:49:29.440
And was it signed?

1621
00:49:29.441 --> 00:49:29.901
It was,

1622
00:49:29.963 --> 00:49:30.206
yes.

1623
00:49:30.307 --> 00:49:31.346
It was signed and I have,

1624
00:49:31.424 --> 00:49:31.682
I think,

1625
00:49:31.683 --> 00:49:32.424
a bookmark in it.

1626
00:49:32.784 --> 00:49:33.666
It was very well done.

1627
00:49:34.352 --> 00:49:34.773
Thank you.

1628
00:49:35.013 --> 00:49:36.395
Thank you so much for saying that.

1629
00:49:36.455 --> 00:49:38.979
I will definitely take that with me.

1630
00:49:39.018 --> 00:49:39.479
I love that.

1631
00:49:39.518 --> 00:49:40.900
And there it is.

1632
00:49:40.939 --> 00:49:43.299
That's how much I believe in the importance of receiving.

1633
00:49:43.541 --> 00:49:43.861
I mean,

1634
00:49:43.900 --> 00:49:45.643
how did you feel when you got a physical book?

1635
00:49:46.025 --> 00:49:46.268
You know,

1636
00:49:46.346 --> 00:49:47.885
even though I do love digital copies,

1637
00:49:48.643 --> 00:49:50.346
I do collect books from my authors.

1638
00:49:50.361 --> 00:49:51.627
So from all the ones I was willing to,

1639
00:49:51.674 --> 00:49:54.658
I have a whole collection of books that's been signed from authors that I've interviewed.

1640
00:49:55.111 --> 00:49:55.877
And I look at those,

1641
00:49:55.878 --> 00:49:56.127
I'm like,

1642
00:49:56.158 --> 00:49:56.299
yeah,

1643
00:49:56.330 --> 00:49:58.674
this is much more tangible to me.

1644
00:49:59.018 --> 00:50:00.955
It feels great because like you,

1645
00:50:01.111 --> 00:50:02.158
we've said throughout this interview.

1646
00:50:02.748 --> 00:50:08.453
The author sat down and took time to write me a note or wrote in the book or just to simply sign it.

1647
00:50:09.453 --> 00:50:11.559
It means that they cared about the interview that I did with them.

1648
00:50:11.613 --> 00:50:12.215
That's how I feel.

1649
00:50:12.660 --> 00:50:12.840
Well,

1650
00:50:12.841 --> 00:50:13.316
I like that.

1651
00:50:13.379 --> 00:50:13.598
Yeah,

1652
00:50:14.020 --> 00:50:14.262
yeah,

1653
00:50:15.363 --> 00:50:15.543
yeah.

1654
00:50:15.544 --> 00:50:16.559
And that's that give and take,

1655
00:50:16.621 --> 00:50:16.941
isn't it?

1656
00:50:16.965 --> 00:50:18.004
That's what we talk about.

1657
00:50:18.340 --> 00:50:20.512
That's the human connection right there.

1658
00:50:20.824 --> 00:50:21.059
I mean,

1659
00:50:21.060 --> 00:50:25.590
the fact that you're putting this amount of time out for us,

1660
00:50:26.012 --> 00:50:29.574
for the writers in the world and for the true crime people and whatnot.

1661
00:50:29.590 --> 00:50:31.637
But that's the...

1662
00:50:31.904 --> 00:50:32.905
That's what we want.

1663
00:50:32.945 --> 00:50:34.767
We want to be not only acknowledged,

1664
00:50:34.768 --> 00:50:37.730
but we want to have great connection.

1665
00:50:38.051 --> 00:50:39.691
And on this interview,

1666
00:50:40.152 --> 00:50:40.832
I have felt that.

1667
00:50:40.871 --> 00:50:42.332
This has been just extraordinary.

1668
00:50:42.894 --> 00:50:43.011
Well,

1669
00:50:43.058 --> 00:50:43.379
thank you,

1670
00:50:43.457 --> 00:50:43.699
Karou.

1671
00:50:43.972 --> 00:50:45.074
So in closing,

1672
00:50:45.121 --> 00:50:50.886
can you tell us what's new or what's going to be coming down the pipe from us for Karou Papritz?

1673
00:50:51.418 --> 00:50:51.590
Oh,

1674
00:50:51.902 --> 00:50:52.230
golly.

1675
00:50:52.340 --> 00:50:52.465
Well,

1676
00:50:52.511 --> 00:50:52.683
let's,

1677
00:50:53.886 --> 00:50:54.746
as one of the kids said,

1678
00:50:54.761 --> 00:50:54.902
well,

1679
00:50:54.903 --> 00:50:55.324
what do you do,

1680
00:50:55.511 --> 00:50:55.761
Mr.

1681
00:50:55.793 --> 00:50:56.215
Papritz,

1682
00:50:56.308 --> 00:51:00.418
after you get a Guinness World Record for the world's largest salmon letter and all this?

1683
00:51:00.449 --> 00:51:00.871
And I said,

1684
00:51:01.796 --> 00:51:02.897
And I said,

1685
00:51:02.938 --> 00:51:03.338
I don't know.

1686
00:51:03.339 --> 00:51:03.659
And he says,

1687
00:51:03.678 --> 00:51:03.899
well,

1688
00:51:03.979 --> 00:51:05.641
what about the world's largest mailbox?

1689
00:51:05.719 --> 00:51:06.078
And I thought,

1690
00:51:06.399 --> 00:51:06.539
well,

1691
00:51:06.661 --> 00:51:07.301
wait a second.

1692
00:51:07.321 --> 00:51:08.043
That's a thought,

1693
00:51:08.082 --> 00:51:08.403
you know.

1694
00:51:12.047 --> 00:51:12.164
Oh,

1695
00:51:12.289 --> 00:51:16.211
we've got the Legacy Letters Complete coming out hopefully this next year.

1696
00:51:16.313 --> 00:51:16.547
Again,

1697
00:51:16.571 --> 00:51:17.188
it is finished.

1698
00:51:17.189 --> 00:51:19.891
I just want to wrap up some more stuff with this book.

1699
00:51:21.703 --> 00:51:25.703
I love doing these interviews talking about legacy.

1700
00:51:25.922 --> 00:51:29.063
And so I'll definitely continue in that vein.

1701
00:51:29.438 --> 00:51:29.625
And,

1702
00:51:29.719 --> 00:51:29.969
and,

1703
00:51:30.016 --> 00:51:30.157
um,

1704
00:51:30.908 --> 00:51:33.391
One thing I thought would be really fun here,

1705
00:51:33.611 --> 00:51:36.633
as this is not only a talking interview,

1706
00:51:36.715 --> 00:51:41.340
but all about if I read a small passage from the book.

1707
00:51:41.980 --> 00:51:42.457
That'd be great.

1708
00:51:42.582 --> 00:51:44.043
Would that work for you?

1709
00:51:44.059 --> 00:51:46.480
Absolutely.

1710
00:51:46.887 --> 00:51:48.262
I've got some earmarked here,

1711
00:51:48.293 --> 00:51:49.668
but here's one on...

1712
00:51:52.684 --> 00:51:54.652
So there's a letter in the book called,

1713
00:51:54.653 --> 00:51:59.840
Your Pappy's Love of Books and All Appearances of the Mother Tongue.

1714
00:52:01.028 --> 00:52:02.228
And so he talks about,

1715
00:52:02.429 --> 00:52:04.648
I am doomed to read books.

1716
00:52:05.388 --> 00:52:06.748
If you haven't already figured it out,

1717
00:52:06.749 --> 00:52:08.408
your paw can't leave well enough alone.

1718
00:52:08.771 --> 00:52:11.213
Having to have my own last word on books.

1719
00:52:12.767 --> 00:52:13.291
And he goes,

1720
00:52:14.470 --> 00:52:16.955
now he calls them little ones because he doesn't know their name.

1721
00:52:17.267 --> 00:52:17.533
Okay.

1722
00:52:18.705 --> 00:52:20.174
Why read little ones?

1723
00:52:21.314 --> 00:52:22.674
To think and to learn about who,

1724
00:52:23.095 --> 00:52:23.314
what,

1725
00:52:23.674 --> 00:52:24.580
and why we are.

1726
00:52:25.486 --> 00:52:29.674
Books are written by map makers who endlessly illuminate.

1727
00:52:30.168 --> 00:52:37.895
chart and create the mind maps and soul maps and heart maps that we so need to help make sense of ourselves and our world.

1728
00:52:38.958 --> 00:52:42.544
These explorers exist for one delectable prize and purpose,

1729
00:52:43.419 --> 00:52:46.450
to define the beauty of contrarieties,

1730
00:52:47.419 --> 00:52:51.044
to show us that we are not alone in our differences of how we ponder,

1731
00:52:51.590 --> 00:52:51.903
savor,

1732
00:52:51.934 --> 00:52:52.512
and believe,

1733
00:52:53.434 --> 00:52:55.090
how we profess and love and die.

1734
00:52:55.559 --> 00:52:55.997
Somehow,

1735
00:52:56.012 --> 00:52:58.997
in as many ways as these map makers individually perceived planets.

1736
00:52:59.560 --> 00:53:00.201
and earthworms,

1737
00:53:00.221 --> 00:53:01.361
volcanoes and seashells,

1738
00:53:01.803 --> 00:53:03.043
glaciers and dandelions,

1739
00:53:03.062 --> 00:53:04.645
they eventually bring us to ourselves.

1740
00:53:05.004 --> 00:53:09.148
Our individuality chooses to take the journey.

1741
00:53:09.711 --> 00:53:17.437
Our imagination chooses how we interpret these maps and all these maps leading us to the pirate's treasure.

1742
00:53:18.406 --> 00:53:20.562
And that treasure is ourselves.

1743
00:53:21.203 --> 00:53:21.469
Wow.

1744
00:53:21.547 --> 00:53:21.656
Now,

1745
00:53:21.703 --> 00:53:21.828
see,

1746
00:53:21.829 --> 00:53:22.781
if I hadn't read the book,

1747
00:53:22.875 --> 00:53:24.469
I'd be running out just after that passage.

1748
00:53:27.984 --> 00:53:28.785
That's great,

1749
00:53:28.844 --> 00:53:29.024
man.

1750
00:53:29.064 --> 00:53:29.224
Well,

1751
00:53:29.264 --> 00:53:29.504
Karu,

1752
00:53:29.824 --> 00:53:31.624
I want to thank you for coming on the show today.

1753
00:53:31.787 --> 00:53:33.044
It has really been enlightening.

1754
00:53:33.646 --> 00:53:35.064
I felt I learned a lot from your book,

1755
00:53:35.107 --> 00:53:38.083
but I learned a lot more from actually meeting you today.

1756
00:53:38.224 --> 00:53:39.443
It has been very,

1757
00:53:39.568 --> 00:53:39.810
very,

1758
00:53:39.943 --> 00:53:40.787
very great time.

1759
00:53:41.287 --> 00:53:42.747
Anytime you want to come back,

1760
00:53:42.771 --> 00:53:43.724
you know how to get a hold of me.

1761
00:53:43.849 --> 00:53:45.162
You're always welcome if you want.

1762
00:53:45.662 --> 00:53:45.912
Oh,

1763
00:53:46.021 --> 00:53:46.443
thank you,

1764
00:53:46.505 --> 00:53:46.833
David.

1765
00:53:46.865 --> 00:53:47.802
I really appreciate it.

1766
00:53:47.803 --> 00:53:49.021
I will definitely do that.

1767
00:53:49.068 --> 00:53:50.755
This has been a lovely,

1768
00:53:50.927 --> 00:53:51.693
lovely interview.

1769
00:53:51.943 --> 00:53:54.333
and those questions that you asked.

1770
00:53:55.288 --> 00:53:57.209
really put me on the spot in a great way.

1771
00:53:57.509 --> 00:53:59.410
And I'm glad I didn't have them before.

1772
00:53:59.488 --> 00:54:02.769
Then I would have given Pat answers and sounded really like I knew what I was talking.

1773
00:54:02.949 --> 00:54:03.070
Well,

1774
00:54:03.109 --> 00:54:03.429
thank you,

1775
00:54:03.430 --> 00:54:03.531
man.

1776
00:54:03.532 --> 00:54:04.312
I appreciate it.

1777
00:54:04.429 --> 00:54:05.992
And again,

1778
00:54:06.031 --> 00:54:08.132
you're always welcome to come back and thank you for coming on the show.

1779
00:54:08.734 --> 00:54:08.992
Thank you,

1780
00:54:08.993 --> 00:54:09.273
David.

1781
00:54:09.328 --> 00:54:09.468
Sure.

1782
00:54:09.469 --> 00:54:09.968
Appreciate it.

1783
00:54:12.757 --> 00:54:13.070
All right,

1784
00:54:13.117 --> 00:54:13.570
guys,

1785
00:54:13.648 --> 00:54:14.570
you heard it yourself.

1786
00:54:14.867 --> 00:54:16.945
That was the incredible Karub Papritz.

1787
00:54:17.132 --> 00:54:19.836
You can get a copy of the legacy letters,

1788
00:54:19.898 --> 00:54:20.414
his wife,

1789
00:54:20.820 --> 00:54:21.398
his children,

1790
00:54:21.476 --> 00:54:23.632
his final gift at Amazon.

1791
00:54:23.976 --> 00:54:25.839
anywhere where books are sold.

1792
00:54:26.241 --> 00:54:28.606
You can also learn more about Carew at his website,

1793
00:54:28.626 --> 00:54:30.028
thelegacyletters.com,

1794
00:54:30.208 --> 00:54:31.387
as well as my own,

1795
00:54:31.911 --> 00:54:34.614
because his profile will be attached to this episode.

1796
00:54:35.146 --> 00:54:38.150
And the links there will also be in the show notes and on that website.

1797
00:54:38.529 --> 00:54:42.572
So please make sure you do go buy a copy of the book as well as check him out.

1798
00:54:43.595 --> 00:54:43.853
Also,

1799
00:54:43.994 --> 00:54:46.033
all the other links that we talked about today,

1800
00:54:46.580 --> 00:54:50.861
referring to the largest thank you letter will also be in the show notes.

1801
00:54:50.862 --> 00:54:52.267
So all the information will be there for you.

1802
00:54:53.377 --> 00:54:53.689
Once again,

1803
00:54:53.752 --> 00:54:54.798
thank you for joining us today.

1804
00:54:54.845 --> 00:54:57.689
I know you have many choices in True Crime and Interview Podcast.

1805
00:54:58.064 --> 00:55:00.189
I am grateful for that for the last two and a half years,

1806
00:55:00.190 --> 00:55:01.017
you have chosen me.

1807
00:55:01.845 --> 00:55:02.298
And remember,

1808
00:55:02.345 --> 00:55:03.611
you have been listening to the...

1809
00:55:03.826 --> 00:55:06.689
only three-faceted podcast of its kind.

1810
00:55:07.349 --> 00:55:08.371
And always remember,

1811
00:55:09.031 --> 00:55:10.613
be good to yourself and each other.

1812
00:55:11.413 --> 00:55:12.335
And as always,

1813
00:55:12.937 --> 00:55:13.554
stay humble.

1814
00:55:14.296 --> 00:55:16.460
An act of kindness can make someone's day.

1815
00:55:17.140 --> 00:55:19.898
A little love and compassion can go a long way.

1816
00:55:20.429 --> 00:55:24.413
And remember that there is an extraordinary person in all of us.

1817
00:55:25.085 --> 00:55:26.367
I'll catch you guys on the next one.

1818
00:55:26.368 --> 00:55:31.867
Don't forget to rate,

1819
00:55:31.960 --> 00:55:32.335
comment,

1820
00:55:32.429 --> 00:55:33.257
and subscribe.

1821
00:55:33.718 --> 00:55:34.859
Join us on social media.

1822
00:55:35.500 --> 00:55:37.223
One link to the link tree has it all.

1823
00:55:37.961 --> 00:55:42.406
Feel free to drop us a line at truecrimeandauthors at gmail.com.

1824
00:55:43.008 --> 00:55:45.430
Cover art and logo designed by Arslan.

1825
00:55:46.008 --> 00:55:48.390
Sound mixing and editing by David McClam.

1826
00:55:49.156 --> 00:55:51.969
Intro script by Sophie Wild and David McClam.

1827
00:55:52.797 --> 00:55:53.375
Theme music,

1828
00:55:53.734 --> 00:55:55.656
Legendary by New Alchemist.

1829
00:55:56.281 --> 00:55:59.250
Introduction and ending credits by Jackie Voice.

1830
00:56:00.031 --> 00:56:02.672
See you next time on True Crime Authors.

1831
00:56:03.071 --> 00:56:04.178
extraordinary people