Joy

Homer Hickam is the renowned author of books like Rocket Boys, which was adapted into the
movie October Sky. It is the true story of a group of boys in a small town who won the national
science fair for their rocket making. Several of his books are memoirs of growing up in the small
coal town of Coalwood, West Virgina. Hickam went on to serve in Vietnam, became a scuba
instructor and an amateur paleontologist. Eventually he did end up fulfilling his dream and
working for NASA. In his book, We Are Not Afraid, Hickam talks about life lessons he learned in
Coalwood. In the book he writes about getting a question from a young person who said that he
tried to pray but God didn’t seem to exist for him. Here is a part of what Homer said to him:

Do you want to see a miracle? Look in the mirror. The odds of you being alive on this planet
has more zeroes than the stars themselves. Life is the greatest gift in the universe. Enjoy it.
The second you are not enjoying it, change what you are doing. Be creative to find joy. You
have a right to be happy and also a responsibility to be happy.