A soldier returns home from war and struggles to adjust to civilian life.
When Jake came home from the war, he thought he'd feel relief. Instead, he felt lost. He'd been fighting for years, and now he had to find a new purpose. He had no idea where to start.

At first, it was exciting to be back. He loved seeing his family and friends again. They threw a big party and welcomed him with open arms. But the excitement quickly faded. Jake found himself feeling like a stranger in his own home. Being around people who had never seen the horrors he had was strange to him. He didn't want to talk about it; it was like he was living in a different world than them.

Jake had always been very disciplined in the army. But now that he was back, he found it hard to focus. At night, he'd wake up in a sweat from dreams about the battlefield, and his mind would wander during the day. It was like there was no structure to his civilian life. He missed the predictability of army life.

One day, Jake met a man who had been in the army. At first, he was reluctant to talk, but as they got to know each other, they found that they had a lot in common. The man had also struggled to adjust to civilian life. Jake found that talking to him helped. He started joining the man on his runs in the morning, and the structure of the routine helped him focus during the day.

Soon, Jake started to find a new purpose. He started volunteering at the local VA hospital, and his time with other veterans helped him feel like he was making a difference. He even started taking classes at a community college so he could learn more about how to help people. He was still lost sometimes, but he could feel himself slowly finding his way.

Years later, Jake was packing to move to a new city. As he was going through his things, he came across a photo of himself and the man he'd met years ago. He smiled, thinking about how grateful he was for that chance encounter. It had helped him find a new purpose and a new life when he thought he'd never find his way back home.