Grant Lived for Tomorrow

Grant grew up really poor. His clothes all came from a second hand store. For breakfast when he was young, his family had oatmeal with powdered milk diluted by half to stretch it to last longer.

Grant was a scrawny and shy kid. At school he’d be teased for his clothes and messy hair. You wouldn’t have guessed any of that from looking at him on YouTube. You can’t tell from the screen that he grew up that way, but he did and worse.

When I first met Grant, he always cut his hair himself. He drove an old car that was paid off and still bought his clothes from the thrift shop. All to save money. He saved every cent he could. Knowing that he would not live the life of poverty he grew up in.

I knew he wouldn’t either, even though the evidence of what was before me seemed to be that same poverty continuing. What I saw was an intensity in him. I saw a fire behind his eyes that I knew would create magic.

The young man I saw in front of me, in his old clothes, old car, and buzzed hair, I knew that was not who he was. He was so much bigger than those things. I know what I saw and I saw it immediately.

I saw his greatness long before he did, but he knew it was there too. That’s what drove him. Together we found it completely. Today I see all the evidence of who he really is, expressed in the greatness of what he created during his short time on this earth.

Grant worked hard, maybe too hard. You can see it on his YouTube channel. You can feel it in the lives of the people who keep the channel going.

You can hear it in the letters we get from viewers who loved how Grant created, explored and discovered by having the courage to push his boundaries. He loved to push boundaries. It was his mantra.

As success eventually came, Grant kept his firm habits of saving and not spending frivolously. He didn’t indulge in things that others might consider a necessity rather than a luxury. Grant didn’t live the life that his money would now allow.

Grant’s work life balance was one very important area he worked on but not till after his success. In 2018, at the end of the year, he bought himself something. Finally, something that was considered a luxury and he got it for himself.

He got it for fun, not because he needed it, but because he wanted it. He was 37. At thirty-seven years he was buying himself his first toy.

Eight months before he’d be gone from this world and leave it behind. He bought a truck. A Ford Raptor. Brand spanking new, gorgeous, expensive and fun!

Truth be told… it was still used. But only a few months old. A killer deal. But one he’d never had considered even a few months before. We’d always driven old used cars. In fact, for 5 years we had 1 car, he and I shared.

We’d work out who needed it when. When he had to go to work, he’d take the car and I’d stay home with the kids and no car. We made it work. Because we knew what we wanted out of life and the sacrifices it would require. We were willing to make those now to not have to later.

Today I saw how that same truck is changing. We’re putting TKOR logos on it to make it the company truck. We’ll drive it to events, for when we see the people who love our videos.

We will also continue to play in, explore in, and take it on adventures that will create memories while we’re alive. The legacy continues without him, because of him.

I can’t help but think how excited he’d be to see his truck wrapped in his work, in his legacy, in his life’s work. How it’s not just some random truck. It’s the TKOR “random happens” truck, because the mission of TKOR is bigger now than it ever was. It’s a brand. A mission, a legacy.

I look at that truck wrapped in what he created, what we created, and I know he loves it. I can feel his excitement when it drives around with the recognition that this is Grant’s truck.

The one he finally bought for himself. The one that symbolized that he’d made it in life. That he could buy a truck and enjoy it, because he finally could, finally would.

Now he’s gone and his truck is here. He spent his whole life working for this time and now he’s gone. I felt how I miss him all over again. Again and again.

I remembered that there is balance in life. Balance between doing what is right and knowing that when it’s over, you don’t take anything with you. You leave it all.

So where is the balance between enjoying life and working hard? Can you do both? Grant worked really hard and didn’t let himself enjoy life for a lot of years. We worked so hard and gave up so many things that maybe would have been the right and better things to do. We didn’t do them because we wanted to sacrifice.

I didn’t know what we were really sacrificing. It’s true what they say that no one wishes at the end of their life that they’d spent a little more time working.

When he finally did start to enjoy life more, there were only a few months left. Neither of us knew that of course. But it’s a lesson to me that there are things I missed and now I see them.

The beauty to see what you love, and enjoy it is a gift. Look at what you love and do a little more of that with the people you have that you love the most.

I would love to have one more chance to step back and enjoy the things that I can’t now with the one I love the most because he’s gone.

You can still. Do it. Today is the only day you have to do that thing you’ve been thinking you should do, could do.