Elias Ward is seventy-one, a retired U.S. Army veteran and former supply chain executive facing a terminal diagnosis. Driven by duty, he’s kept emotions at bay, only now realizing the weight of his regrets and the need to reconnect before it’s too late.
Meet Elias Ward
Jaylen Cruz is a 19-year-old kid standing at the edge of his life, torn between the “safe” path everyone understands and the creative life he secretly wants. By day, he’s working warehouse shifts and dodging questions about his future; by night, he’s making beats in his bedroom, wondering if any of it matters.
Under the pressure of family expectations, money worries, and his own fear of failure, Jaylen is ready to trade his dream of music for an enlistment contract—to feel less lost. Meeting Elias forces him to slow down, look at how he’s using his time, and ask a bigger question: What if his life didn’t have to be measured by regret, but by the choices he makes on purpose?
Meet Jaylen Cruz
“Regret isn’t about what you did. It’s about all the versions of you that never got a chance to exist.”
Their talks on that old wooden bench are at the heart of the story. As Elias visits people he feels he has let down—an old protégé, a hospice volunteer, his ex-wife Mariah, and his daughter Lena—Jaylen learns what it means to face regret rather than avoid it. Elias shows Jaylen a new way to measure life, not by success or money, but by being present, honest, and loving while there’s still time. In return, Jaylen gives Elias something he never had at nineteen: a chance to see himself clearly before it’s too late, and to leave more than just apologies behind.
Lee A Jones builds Elias and Jaylen’s story from the main ideas in his first nonfiction book, From Here to There, but Measured in Regrets stands out by weaving these concepts into a narrative that favors lived experience over lessons. The novel’s unique angle is its blend of fiction and self-discovery—Elias’s regret list, Jaylen’s promise list, and the tape measure become not just symbols, but practical tools for change. Instead of offering advice, the story invites readers to witness authentic personal growth unfold.
“You don’t fix a lifetime at once—you just tell the next truth a little sooner than you told the last one.”
If you’ve ever replayed old choices in your head and wondered, How did I end up here?, this story is for you. Measured in Regrets drops you into the lives of Elias, a man running out of time, and Jaylen, a young man with most of his life ahead of him. One is trying to make peace with the past. The other is trying not to repeat it. Together, they show what can happen when you stop drifting, face your regrets, and choose who you want to become on purpose.
If you enjoyed From Here to There, or if you’re ready for a novel that feels real, honest, and hopeful—click Buy Now and walk the road with them.
