post message: My mother is my rock, my biggest supporter in life, always encouraging and pushing me. She's also the biggest fan of my writing and is frustrated that I don't pursue it further. When I turned 30 a few months ago and my first book still wasn't done, she hounded me for days until I finally wrote this. She wanted to know after the all the years, countries, adventures, money made and spent, what I had learned from it all? So this is what I wrote:


The secret to a happy fullfilling life is balance. It's easier to love than to hate. To accept rather to judge. To smile…. YOU DONT KNOW EVERYTHING! (still working on that one) Learning never stops, fill your mind with all the knowledge you can. If you're interested in something, read and you never know just how far you'll take that knowledge. It's easier to see the bad than the good but not impossible if you look hard enough. The world can be a truly awful place or it can be heaven on earth, the choice is up to YOU and only YOU. Take chances, be adventurous, step outside your comfort zone, fall down, get hurt, make mistakes, learn from them and listen carefully to the others who have gone before you.  Don't be afraid to jump but always take into account how deep the water is and be damn good swimmer. Take responsibility for your own actions and don't blame anyone but yourself when things aren't going your way. Go after your dreams, reach for the stars, look deep inside and decide what YOU want, then make it happen. VISUALIZE!! 

Life is short and there are no guarantees except one, it will end. We only die once but we get a chance to live everyday. Don't live your life according to what others say or what faith dictates. Believe in what you can see and touch. Give yourself the credit you deserve. Forgive, but remember the fuckers name. Vengeance isn't a bad thing but don't let it consume you. Never start a fight but always finish one. Smile at everyone but if someone gives you a hard look you give one right back. Give without expecting but don't be afraid to ask for a favor if you really need it. Do for others but do more for yourself, it's OK to be selfish sometimes. You don't get anywhere in life playing by the rules, take what you want and do what you have to do to live the life you love and never feel bad about it. Be smarter than the people trying to stop you. Live a life you can be proud of, follow your own rules and stick to a code. If you're going to steal, steal from a thief. Never trust a fart or waste a hard on. Always buy the right tool for the job and build something right, not just for right now. Quality over quantity every time. Be polite, open doors, use mamn and sir when it's appropriate. Give respect where it is deserved. Communication is key, be honest, always say what you mean and don't speak in riddles. Have a firm handshake and always look them in the eye. Keep your word. Support your friends and family in any way you can. If you are wrong, apologize. Be a man, be patient, respect people especially women and treat others how you want to be treated. Never lay a hand, besides a loving hand, on a woman. Be sensual. Foreplay is even more important than sex. Listen to a woman's body. Know what the G spot is and how to find it. A passionate unexpected kiss can completely change a state of mind. Send flowers just because. Be romantic and thoughtful. Sometimes you need to just shut up and listen. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Pay attention to details, it really is the little things that count in a relationship. If your mother doesn't like her, move on to the next one.

Stand up for injustice and help the less fortunate. Stand up for yourself and never be anyones punching bag. If you are strong, protect the weak. The only rule in a fight is to win. Appear weak when you are strong and strong when you are weak. Take advantage of an enemies weakness. Eyes, nose, throat, balls, knees. Sympathy is not the same as empathy. Don't trust a cop. NEVER rat on your friends. Live in the now, leave the past where it belongs and have a backup plan for the future. Loved ones die, people will hurt you and you will do things you regret. There will always be something that upsets you that you cannot change. Remember all these things, feel them but don't let these emotions dictate your daily life. If you, feel the rain, don't just get wet. Be aware of the way things REALLY are, educate yourself on the problems of world but don't try to change them all. Never jump to a conclusion, try to have 3 independent sources of information before you make a decision for yourself. Always think with your BIG head and trust your gut. Think rationally and methodically. Follow your heart, be open and don't be afraid to get hurt. Life should always be exciting and never mundane. Face your fears head on. Change is good, diversity is a never ending education. Danger and fear can both have positive affects. You CAN have too much of a good thing. Always buy the good mayonnaise and ketchup.  Only flip a steak once. Money isn't everything but it sure helps. Money is easy to find if you know where to look and there is more of it than you can ever imagine in this world. Don't be afraid to go after your piece of the pie but don't be greedy. Always pay what's owed. Decide what you need to be comfortable, not what you need for others to want your life. Always be looking for ways to diversify and never put all your eggs in one basket.

Take naps, sit outside, reflect, embrace silence. LOVE and be PASSIONATE about something, anything. Listen to music, all music, feel it, let it transport you to wherever it does at that given moment. LET YOUR FIRE BURN! Marijuana is an amazing plant but you can use it too often. The daily special at a restaurant is always your best option for the freshest food. Most importantly in life for me is family, fun and experiences. In the end, that's all we're going to have. The love of our family and the love we have for them. FAMILY IS NOT JUST BY BLOOD BUT BY BOND. In our final moments, our accomplishments, the love we've shared, the fun we've had and what we've seen and experienced is all we are left with. That will be my comfort. That I did MY WAY!

I don't believe in heaven or hell and organized religion. I believe in God but not the God that most believe in. I believe in the power of positive thinking and visualization. I believe in mother earth and the power of the sun and universe. I believe we are all our own Gods and yet there is a higher power. Not some being we were created in the mirror image of that we answer to, but something got this whole thing in motion a long time ago and I am not arrogant enough to think for one second I know better than the next person what the meaning and story of us as a human race really is. Or that any man who's come before me can tell me for sure for themselves. This is what I believe. We are energy, positive and negative. You can contain energy, you can release it but you cannot destroy it. Energy can change forms. When we die our energy goes somewhere, where I don't know and no one does for sure and honestly, I don't care. In fact, for me, death will be my final adventure, the BIG RIDE to somewhere, and that is exciting, not scary. Not that I'm in a hurry, still lots more to see, do, taste and experience. In physics, we already break the first law of conservation of energy at creation when sperm meets egg. Then again, sperm is energy as well but our body created sperm so again we are breaking the laws of physics at creation so how can any of us pretend to know anything for sure? That's all I do everyday, create my life by not playing by the rules. 

This is my code, my creed, my omertà, my mantra. Some is my own, some was learned by costly mistakes, most is what I've learned from others much wiser than myself and decided to embrace. Marcus Aurelius once said, "Remember that all is opinion". Im beginning to understand that there is no right or wrong, good or evil. Things just are, only the person who perceives it makes it so.OK 1714937299