Over the last few months I've been doing quite a bit of traveling. I visited the land of my ancestors in Ireland. Partied harder than I ever have in Berlin. Almost got arrested in Munich due to my friends running over cars. Played soccer with kids inside castle walls in Croatia. Invented the "site-crawl" in Prague. Surfed in France. And invested everything into a girl in Spain that turned around to drop me like a ton of bricks in the end.

Over these last few months I have lost, as well as gained, a bit of my soul in Spain. It has been a lot of fun, yet extremely chaotic. I've surfed very little and partied way to hard. And there in lies the problem.

I came to Spain planning on seeing as much of Europe as I could as well as with the intention of partying as hard as I could. And I definitely accomplished both of these things. But in fulling this last intention to the fullest, I had no idea the person I would become. I have always had two personalities: one being very mellow and the other being very wild that seem to balance each other out.

But a third personality of mine surfaced in the process of being a kid studying in Europe. It is of a person that does whatever the fuck he wants whenever the fuck he wants. And a lot of time this can be very fun. Yet at others, it can shake your very being down to your roots as I have learned. This is not healthy by any means, yet it is what I have become.

I have forsaken the cardinal rule of a surfer: get in the water. I blew a lot of mornings staying in bed with a girl. I blew a lot of evenings just killing time until the nighttime parties. But I must add that after coming from surfing the best waves of my life for five months on the other side of the world, the cold and mediocre surf here hasn't been that enticing. However, this is no excuse.

But what is surfing? Is it the act of riding waves or is it the emotions felt, just being there, or the time and ability to simply ponder one's thoughts? For me it is all of these things. Yet I have let the quality of waves keep me from realizing all of surfing's many benefits.

And in doing so I have become a person who isn't balanced. Many things are life, but to a waterman, the ocean comprises much of it. And without the sea, life seems to become something less...real.

I was able to experience another culture and live another form of life, but it all doesn't account for much if you lose what's most important to you in the process.

But despite all the mistakes, this time has been good for seeing the world and being able to learn. Making mistakes seems to be the only way I learn. But I am definitely ready to move on and start writing the next chapter of my life. To start surfing daily, or almost daily again. I am ready to stop partying so much and filling my life with so many things that in the end are eventually meaningless.

Without the sea, many aspects of life seem to lose their beauty. We lose that look in our eyes. And we lose a bit of our soul in the process.

I did go surfing today and was reminded of who I really am: not somebody who parties non-stop days for on end, but a waterman, someone addicted to the sea, and someone who just isn't right without that fix of the Creator's greatest gift to us all.

What's next for me is going to Ghana, Africa to do some non profit work in about 10 days for about 3 weeks. Then I will be cruising home on June 11th before I go to the Dominican Republic to do some very similar non profit work. After that it's back to living the dream in Central America. I miss that place so much.

sounds like you have a lot of tales to tell....

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But what is surfing? Is it the act of riding waves or is it the emotions felt, just being there, or the time and ability to simply ponder one's thoughts? For me it is all of these things. Yet I have let the quality of waves keep me from realizing all of surfing's many benefits.

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It's all that and so much more (it can be climbing, biking, skiing, boarding or a combination of all and more). It's about living a healthy life (physically, mentally, relationships, every aspect), not sitting on a couch in front of a TV when you could be experiencing so much more and taking care of your mind and body so it is there for you as the years go by and continue to go by. To be in shape and in love with life to the point where when you're 100, you're not laying in bed staring at the ceiling and waiting to die but out there in some way loving every minute that you’re alive. Life is such an incredible gift. It seems you've learned many lessons, which is good. Remember those lessons and how you feel now and move only forward. Waist nothing as you may not get that chance again.

You didn't by chance do any rock climbing in Spain did you? With out a doubt, they have some of the best in the world!

AZ-I will be chilling in Santo Domingo for the most part. Should be good.