Perfecting His Craft
Perfecting His Craft
Veteran and Phoenix Adaptive Program volunteer publishes children’s book
photo / Johnny Stanz
Every parent hopes to be there for their child, offering guidance, wisdom, and love. But for U.S. Marine Corps veteran Johnny Stanz, who has defied death multiple times in both military service and civilian life, that hope carries even greater weight. Inspired by the possibility that he might not always be there to share life lessons with his young daughter, he turned his heartfelt words into a children’s book - one that is now touching the hearts of many.
“Everyone Is Perfect for Just Who They Should Be” was just published in December, though the idea behind it began a few years ago. Back when he was a high school student, Stanz did not consider himself a writer; however, he’s always been creative at heart and enjoys painting, drawing, and photography. At 1:12am on February 10, 2021, when his daughter Charlotte was just 49 days old, Stanz awoke and was struck by the idea that he needed to leave something for her to guide her throughout life.
“I thought, ‘I gotta leave a list for that sweet little angel, to make sure she lives a happy life! A list that she can hold in order to remember me, hopefully way in the future, when I’m no longer around to hold her…’” Stanz recalled. Stanz, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for just under a decade and medically retired as a Staff Sergeant, knows how fragile life is. “I got shot in the ear in Iraq during an ambush in 2004,” he explained. “I got blown up in Afghanistan and had 0% chance of living according to several doctors, in 2009. I got stung by a box jelly fish in Bonaire, off the coast of Venezuela in 2012… I’ve had more than my fair share of close calls, so I always gotta prepare.”
To that end, Stanz began creating a list of lessons for his daughter. He noticed that the list sounded a bit poetic, so he began playing with the language to find synonyms and words with various numbers of syllables in order to improve the sound and flow. “I made my list into a little poem instead - I thought that’d be an even better idea,” he recalled. He then read the poem to his family, including two of his sisters, Tara Archfield and Cassie Stronz, who have been elementary teachers in their respective communities. “They said, ‘Johnny, you have to publish this as a children’s book! The world needs these rules - you can teach a lot of kids great ways to live.’”
Stanz hadn’t considered that as an option until then, and he decided not only to pursue it, but to first perfect his craft. He explained, “I searched for online college courses in poetry writing. I found one through the University of Oxford in England, so I took it, passed it, and loved it. Plus, as an added bonus, I can now honestly claim to be an Oxford trained poet!” Once Stanz finished writing the book, he began looking for a publisher, which was not an easy task for a new writer without an agent. He learned about print-on-demand publishers, and discovered Tellwell Publishing in Vancouver, Canada, who connected Stanz to illustrator Veronika Hipolito, who Stanz believes brought his lessons to visual perfection.
It's no accident that the title of Stanz’s book includes a word that has two different definitions: “perfect.” Stanz said, “As an adjective, it means to be completely free of faults and flaws. It is by this definition that the statement ‘nobody is perfect’ comes from, because, of course, every single person to ever exist has faults, no matter who they are!” He pointed out that as a verb though, “perfect” means to be the best that it is possible to be. “It’s by this definition then, that I can say that everyone is perfect for just who they should be! So long as you’re always trying your best to be the best that you can be, you are, by definition… perfect!”
Various examples of perfection have been witnessed by Stanz on many occasions at different wounded veterans’ events since his injuries. At one such event in 2015, Stanz was informed of an opportunity to partake in snowsports at HoliMont’s Phoenix Adaptive Program. Having snowboarded for several years, he decided immediately to volunteer with the program to help wherever needed. After volunteering via snowboard that first year, it became apparent that vestibular damage from injuries sustained in Afghanistan impacted his balance, making it difficult to volunteer as a snowboarder. At the suggestion of a Phoenix Program instructor, he decided to ski instead.
Having not skied in two decades, Stanz said that he was “hesitant, to say the least!” but was reassured from several HoliMont instructors that it would be “just like riding a bike.” Stanz got back on skis and continued volunteering, but with a far easier time maintaining his balance. After volunteering for a few more years, Stanz decided to take the next step and become a PSIA/AASI Certified Adaptive Ski Instructor, which he did in January of 2020. Today, Stanz can still be found loving life and helping the students of the Phoenix Program enjoy the snow beneath them in Ellicottville!
His book includes many of the valuable lessons about acceptance, kindness, and empathy that he learned through participating in various volunteering ventures since his medical retirement. Since its publication, the book has received rave reviews, many of which praise the book’s fresh take on the golden rule. “The golden rule isn’t ‘Treat others like they treat you,’” Stanz explained. “It’s ‘Treat others like you want to be treated’ - no matter how they treat you.” He added, “I 100% believe that if 100% of the people in the world followed 100% of the guidelines that are laid out in this book, 100% of the time, there would be 100% less hate, war and rudeness in our world.”
Stanz is living proof that believing in what is possible - instead of focusing on what feels impossible - can change everything. “Everyone Is Perfect for Just Who They Should Be” is available at Comfort Zone Café and Merit Badge Books in Hamburg, NY as well as online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-a-Million. Learn more about Stanz and stay up-to-date on his two forthcoming books by following him on social media and visiting www.stingraypublications.com.