feature story / 33
He 
resolved 
to write a book 
for those going 
through 
these 
life 
transitions: 
for high school 
sophomores on 
the precipice of 
massive change, 
for 50-year-olds 
trying their hand 
at forgotten pas­
sions 
and 
for 
everyone in be­
tween.
He 
thought 
back to teach­
ing and noticed 
that the things 
that stuck with 
his students were 
most often imparted through person­
al stories and anecdotes, as opposed 
to regimented curriculum. This ap­
proach was extremely useful to him 
in writing The Practice of Destiny. In 
its prose and prompts, there is a clear 
and conscious effort to genuinely en­
gage the reader on their own terms. 
And in a broader sense, this is 
the point of the book: What can one 
use to move forward? Or, in his own 
words: “What are my talents? What 
do I really want to do? Once I be­
come a little bit happier in that way, 
I can bring that energy to somebody 
else, and then you have much more 
of a way of effecting change than just 
trying to solve every problem that’s a 
gazillion miles away.” 
O’Dell took his own advice of fol­
lowing his passion by imparting his 
knowledge to students and founding 
a band for which he wrote dozens of 
songs (a book of lyrics to which is 
currently in development).
Reflecting on this, he sees fur­
ther opportunity to practice what he 
preaches. “I’m going to start my 31st 
year of teaching in September, so I’m 
getting to that retirement age. We’re 
always going through transitions, 
like who we were a couple years ago, 
whether it’s your kids getting older, 
yourself getting older, your interests 
change.… it’s just kind of a book for 
any stage of life that you’re in.”
The Practice of Destiny: 30 Com­
mitments That Turn Intention into 
Direction is available for purchase in 
print at amazon.com. 
While not a Norse seer by any means, 
Nathaniel Kraemer does have an 
uncanny knack for intuiting movie 
twists, often to the displeasure of fel­
low viewers. He’s a senior at Columbia 
High School.
Ryan O'Dell, a language arts teacher at Maplewood Middle 
School, wrote The Practice of Destiny: 30 Commitments That 
Turn Intention into Direction to help readers work through 
how to be true to themselves.
The Practice of Destiny contains 30 entries, each with an "irreversible question" and 
a "commitment ritual." O'Dell encourages readers to participate, complete what 
they begin and take the next honest step.
Play. Imagine. Discover.
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Sarah Barlow
Navigating special education can feel overwhelming, 
but you don’t have to do it alone. 

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