After Richard graduated from high school, he realized that, unless he followed in the footsteps of all the males in his family for generations, he had no prospects for employment in the small company town in West Virginia. He could not abide by the thought of working in the coal mine, the town’s only real employer for able-bodied young men.

Richard’s departure had been sudden and unexpected to all but himself. Even though he didn’t know where he would go or what he would do, he did know that he needed to embark on his journey of self-discovery. And so Richard quietly packed up his meager belongings and disappeared before dawn one morning.

He figured that no one would miss him. He was, after all, a loner. He had few friends and even his parents complained that he had been a cold, aloof child. He was never quite sure if…