Ever had a conversation shift your perspective & change the trajectory of your life? In 2021 & during the pandemic, my life was in upheaval. I was terrified of what the future held. No matter how I tried, it felt as if all forces were against me, pulling me to bottom in free fall. As hard as it was to admit, one day I confided every detail in confidence to a friend as we sat on surfboards in the deep blue waters of Mexico. He listened intently putting himself in my shoes & with the most open of hearts & a long pause shared his perspective.
“I’m not scared of anything … because I can fish”.
His words hit me so deeply, they not only grew to be an anchor of sanity for me, but also changed the trajectory of my life. You see, when you can fish, you can trade fish for basically anything… vegetables, chickens, milk, eggs. The sun gives light, a burning fire warms the night. If it’s really this simple, how did life become so complicated? The very next day while spearfishing in the reef, as if a sign from God, I managed to spear not one, not two, but SIX FISH, beating my personal record of two. The ocean is my divine respite & I’ve proudly since graduated to bluewater hunting. Deep in the sea Is where I can truly breathe. It’s the sharks on land that unease me, not the sharks in the sea. Passing the threshold of the glassy surface, the worries of the world transmute instantly. My battery recharges, I am whole again. A beautiful wormhole to the other side, flashing other realities, as if life were but a dream. Fish know nothing of our politics, possessions, or personal strife. Spearfishing & respect for the ocean give me the strength to believe & keep going, no matter what. I believe in the promise and possibilities of the future, I believe kindness is the only way, I believe in simplicity & I believe that God has a plan. Rising from ashes, rebuilding my life, my giant shiny pearl of a silver lining is a fresh deep peaceful knowing in my soul & the opportunity to share that. My wish is to dedicate my life’s work now to sharing this passion & hopefully inspiring others as I marry my love of the ocean & spearfishing to my career of storytelling … and to carry on.