I was tired of playing it safe and having to tread water in the shallow end of life where no-one else felt threatened. I wanted to strike out and lose sight of shore. To swim in the deep end where the Wild Things roar. To grab life by the horns and stick a cattle prod up its ass and find out who was the better man It's taken a lifetime of adventure and a world of pain to learn how to live and love without condition, but the essence of it came to me one day when revenge handed me the opportunity to crucify my best friend. I realized in that moment that who we are is not determined by fate, but rather our faith in the bigger hand that is playing our game. That while we are being played we have a choice; to become like the petty thieves and pirates who would see to our undoing, or confront ourselves and through courage and daring find a better way to end our story. Idealistic I know, but I have since discovered that it is the difference between a life well lived and one that is wasted on false gods and missed opportunities. I started my journey around the world as a philosopher and a seeker of truth guided by the ultimate question that haunts most parents; 'what do I tell my children?' On my quest I have climbed from the pits of despair to the pinnacles of success and the fallen all the way down again. Unexpectedly, I would find the answer to my question by going through hell. I might still be there now, if it had not been for her beautiful smile and tropical brown eyes that whispered "what if?" but ultimately it was her courage that saved me.