Depths of The Deep Blue

I had an amazing experience in Antarctica over summer as producer for 'Whale Wars' on the Sea Shepherd 'Operation Relentless' campaign. These are some words I wrote on the trip...

Broken Majestic

Open your eyes, what can you see?

Is it clear to you as it is to me?

The poisonous touch of humankind

That seems to make the world go blind

A bloodstained smear

On what once was perfection

Ignored by governments

For the sake of election

When the other cheek is turned

Much more than darkness is missed

The love returned by the mother

Like lips against a forehead kissed

To take in the bad, the ugly, the raw

To feel what it means, when it cuts to the core

Only then we’ll receive this life as a whole

The beauty that touches deep in our soul

Are your eyes wide open?

Looking beyond the daily grime

Feel through pain and devastation

What lies beyond can be divine

Photo : Andrew Correl

Time keeps ticking away, but what will you take away from time?

I keep meeting these important people. You know the ones? So much to do, people to see, places to go. No time to stop and look around. No time to see what's in front of them, behind them, above them. Disconnected and numb. Too busy to ask themselves... am I happy? Why am I doing what I'm doing? Who am I doing this for? Running around in circles, achieving one small goal after another, after another. Eating, drinking, working, sleeping, eating drinking, drinking, fucking, sleeping, working, working, working!

I saw this writing piece years ago that has stuck with me...

How have you spent your dash?

A man stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth, and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
1948 - 2001 for that dash represents all the time spent alive on earth...and now only those who loved that person know what that little line is worth. For it matters not how much we own, the cars...the house...the cash...what matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left and what you can rearrange. If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true and real, and try to understand how other people feel. And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile... remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read with your life's actions to rehash...will you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash? (Anon)

Disposable Words

You and all your words.
They roll from your tongue with elusive ease.
Magnificent words.
Words of lust, false love.
Meaningless words.
Cruel, taunting words.
Filled with mockery and spite.
Take care with your disposable words.

Ode To Lust

You came into my life like a firecracker
Loud and bright interrupting the night
Your fire warmed my body, relit my senses
Rushed through my mind, illuminated my heart
I'm grateful for your flaming light
If only for a summer's night

Dream On

At what point in your life do you give up on your dreams and accept what life has given to you? 

Is it when the pressure of other’s achievements is overweighing the seemingly pitiful amount of success that is your own life? 

Is it when you’ve taken rejection after rejection and the overwhelming sense of defeat has overshadowed your willpower?

I personally feel that dreams are what make the person. Having a passion, a dream is more valuable than anything else in this world that money can buy. It is also something that nobody can take away from you except yourself. So hold it tightly, cherish it, stand up for it, fall in love with it and believe in it. Hold on to the hope because dreams are what make life beautiful. 

Surrender to the Storm

You're caught out at sea, paddling against the current. A wave comes crashing over you, dragging you under briefly. You resurface and keep swimming. A larger wave comes and sweeps you under again. Then another, and another. You are starting to tire, but still you go on. More waves wash over you more fiercely than the last. Your arms are weakening, your breath getting faint. You are struggling to keep your head above water but your fighting spirit persists. You can see the sunlight from the bottom of the ocean and keep pushing, gasping and paddling towards it. You refuse to let the ocean get the better of you. The greatest wave of all comes suddenly, dragging you under to the ocean floor. 
At this moment you realise, you will never defeat the ocean. You are just a man fighting against the great Mother. You have no choice but to surrender. You let go of the fight and let the current take control. For the first time you feel a sense of relief and peace taking over your whole being. The ocean guides you back to shore. You are not defeated, but enlightened. You now see the ocean from a whole new perspective. There is no longer an overwhelming struggle for survival, but a feeling of love, joy and beauty. You make peace with the ocean and put your trust in her once more.

Euro Roadtrippin'

The last couple of months of my trip were an absolute whirlwind of a ride. I packed up my suitcase, threw out or gave away half of my belongings and left Hamburg for Amsterdam with two Canadian buddies. For those of you who have been to Amsterdam I don't need to tell you what a sensational blur it was. Hazy bike rides around over canals and cobblestone streets, mind-blowing art galleries, cafe lounging and a touch of dirty lust.

Ibiza was about clubs, cocktails on the beach and spanish cuisine. I loved the experience, but Ibiza wasn't me. Give me a live spanish guitarist over a club-pumping dj any day.