When lightning tears through your body, surviving is just the beginning.
On a misty summer day in the Austrian Alps, 17-year-old Dan Weecks’ life changed forever when he was struck by lightning and lived to t ell the tale. This pivotal moment, what Austrian culture not calls his Second Birthday, became a perfect metaphor for Dan’s philosophy: we cannot control what happens to us, only how we respond.
In this compelling memoir, Weecks takes readers from that electric shock through the metaphorical lightning strikes that followed: a turbulent aviation career where ethical challenges rivaled in-flight emergencies, the principled decision to walk away from a dream he spent years achieving, and sudden job loss with a newborn daughter and mortgage hanging in the balance.
With candor and hard-earned wisdom, Dan demonstrates how life’s unexpected bolts, whether metaphorical or 100,000 volts of actual electricity, can become catalysts for growth rather than sources of defeat. His journey reveals the quiet courage required to maintain integrity when systems around you are corrupt, and the liberation that comes from aligning your life with your deepest values, regardless of cost.
Whether you’re facing career crossroads, ethical dilemmas, or personal setbacks, “My Second Birthday” offers a powerful framework for navigating life’s unpredictable storms and discovering that our greatest power lies not in controlling circumstances, but in choosing who we become along the way.
When lightning strikes your life, how will you respond?
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