Death is all around me, it’s painful. Constant flashbacks and memories of friends and family who I’ll never see again. Reminders of how precious we are to the people who surround us. Tears….

Every day we go through so much struggle, everybody does, Mental, Physical, Emotional, Financial… I’m always being pushed down to the ground and kicked multiple times while lying there hurt. And what do I do about it? Get back up and beg for more.

When life throws shit at you from every angle it shows how strong or weak you really are as a person. Can you continue to just wipe it off, and throw some back every now and then. And how much can one man take before he just crumbles. I consider myself a very strong individual and I have a stubborn mentality when it comes to giving up – I don’t do it. For me it’s about how much I can take before asking for help to overcome it. Giving up isn’t even a question. The question is how do I beat it?

When life knocks you down you gotta get back up.

When you’re crying tears of sadness you gotta think of all the good things you have, and good times you had.

When you are so hurt you can’t move you gotta set goals for getting better.

And when you lose one that you love you gotta look towards the others who love you for comfort.

I have to quote 3 Bob Marley songs this time and they all mean the same thing –

“They made their world so hard, every day we got to keep on fightin’” – One Drop

“So arm in arms, with arms, we’ll fight this little struggle, ’cause that’s the only way we can overcome our little trouble” – Zimbabwe

“Get up, Stand up: Stand up for your rights! Get up, Stand up: Don’t give up the fight!” – Get up, Stand up

All three of these songs are talking about completely different subjects, political; cultural; religious beliefs;, but they all have the same message. Take what you believe and let the world know you believe it. Don’t take shit from anyone, and never back down. Stand up for yourself and everyone who walks beside you. And be yourself every day for the rest of your life.

Thanks Bob

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This whole year has been an emotional roller coaster ride with so many ups and downs. If it wasn’t for Kaelen in my life, there’d be a lot more downs. But I am one of those people that tries not to worry about things, and knows that life works itself out. It’s still tough though when every day it seems like something depressing happens. My birthday is coming up in about 10 days and I’m looking forward to that, I had a shitty year. We’ll be having the usual parties and taking some time to just relax for once. And maybe during that time, life will turn back around to being happy all the time again. Then I could get back in that boat that just sails along to freedom. And once I’m in that boat, don’t rock it, I just wanna chill for a while.

With Kaelen turning 3 years old next week I know this next year is going to be so much fun. He’s already a pretty grown up kid for a 3 year old, like we can already just straight hang out together all the time and stuff, but watching him grow up and learn new things just makes me so happy. I love kids anyway, most people know that. And one of my favourite things to do in life is to teach. But with Kaelen I just watch hm learn on his own, and give him the proper advise when he needs it. Those moments are what I live for right now, and no one can change that.

Bob Marley says in the song: Don’t Rock My Boat

“When we bend them new corners, we feel like Sweepstakes Winners”

A simple line that means so much. The most exciting times in life are new experiences. And with children, every day is a new experience – for both them and us. No one knows what that child is going to do that day until he does it. It could be a new song, a new funny joke, a new word, or just a special moment between the two of you that has never happened before. But it all makes you happy, it all makes you proud, and for a second you forget all your troubles and just sit on top of the world in your glory, and it feels good.

This is what I’m going to focus on for the next year – new experiences. And I’m going to continue to create more and more for the children of tomorrow to enjoy so that we all can feel like big time winners every day…

Are you with me?

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Don’t worry…. a saying that we all use every day. Life is always going sideways out of nowhere and you just got to stay thinking positive that it will all work out later, and not get trapped in the worry.

I’ve been having a rough time these past 5 or 6 months and everything has been going wrong. Usually when you see me out there at the parks or in the streets you wouldn’t be able to tell though. I hate to worry about life, and survival, and the dangers that are always waiting for us, so I try my best not to. Lost my dad in April, I shut down one of my businesses in June, my camera was stolen in September and I haven’t seen my cat for 2 weeks… You see me happy and you see me smiling and having a good time, but inside I haven’t been happy for months. But I look at the positive things that have been happening lately and they keep me smiling, and make me believe that things will turn around and get better. I’ve been really getting back into skating and been out there filming and being filmed all summer and it feels good. I might be frustrated with how hard I work on setting up so many events for skateboarders in the Lower Mainland, but as soon as I show up the day of and see all those smiling faces, I let it go and just have a good time. You guys all make me happy to be who I am and to know so many amazing people, young and old. You’re positive energy and the respect you give me have helped me to make it through these hard times, and life has been starting to work out again. I have more money coming in, I won a couple contests lately, and I’ve actually been smiling for no reason again.

Life can be tough, and our emotions change constantly. Some days are good days and other are not, but I take it with a grain of salt as they say, and live on. It’ll all be okay soon.

I quote Bob Marley from the song Three Little Birds:

“Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing gonna be alright”

Believe it – Love it – Live it

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“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

–Bob Marley

He was a man of wisdom and positive emotion, and expressed so many words that meant so much to so many people. Bob Marley was the Malcolm X of music and was an inspiration for all to unite.

With so many ups and downs in life it’s tough to remember the ups all the time, because some of those downs are just so rough. This has been a long year for me so far, surrounded by sad days, death and lack of money. If it wasn’t for my family keeping me happy all the time, and all the friends we have in the skateboard world, I might just disappear sometimes. But one reason I don’t is because I have so much more work to do in this lifetime. I’ve been changing the world for a long time, and trying hard to make it better for others, sometimes I forget about myself. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I will keep on pushing my body and mind to the limit to succeed. And when I’m offered help from someone who just wants a piece of my pie, I will still turn them down and do it the hard way. ‘Cause that’s me, and that’s the way it has to be. The golden light is at the end of the tunnel, and there’s always gonna be a couple people who throw down ropes to help you get there faster, but those people always want a commission after. I look past those ropes at the other people just routing me on, and encouraging me not to give up and say thank you, I’ll see you at the end. And success will be there waiting.

I give you one of the best quotes of all time from the song: Zion Train –

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver and gold.” – Bob Marley

You gotta recognize who you are as a person and what that means to yourself. You gotta know that what’s in your head is worth more than what’s in your pocket. And you gotta learn to say no to anyone that tries to change who you are.

Find what you believe in, and express it…

Learn more about Bob Marley here

http://earthtones.org/featured-artist/bob-marley/

We live in a very competitive world, it’s always been that way, people and animals battling for survival. But times have definitely changed and life is very expensive. With money ruling the world everyone wants to earn their share, and of course a little extra to have fun on the side of all this work.

But here’s the problem:

We need food and shelter to survive, we need money to purchase these things, and we have to have a reliable source of income. A lot of people run small businesses, especially in the skateboard industry. This adds to the competitive nature of our lifestyles, but why? We are all interested in one thing, promoting the sport we love. Why not instead of competing with one another, we just all work together to promote each other and build up a larger consumer base for all. Doesn’t it make more sense to collaborate with others and promote the sport as a whole, rather than trying to be better than the next guy and put others out of business?

Bob Marley was all about bringing people together and trying to have the world unite in peace and stop all the fighting. In Jamaica, in the late 1970’s, there was a major political battle between 2 government officials Michael Manley (PNP) and Edward Seaga (JLP). Bob Marley was requested to help to try and resolve this battle by holding a “Third World Woodstock” style event called “The One Love Peace Concert” and Bob tried so hard to have them stop competing against one another, join hands and work together to make the life on the island better for all who lived there. Here’s is the actual quote from that Concert when he had the 2 on stage –

This day was a very, very historic event and it took a great man to be the centre of that hand shake. The wars did not stop completely in Jamaica and even today are still going on, but that vision of unity between those 2 figures will live on as the most symbolic hand shake in the country. And it is proof that anyone can put their differences aside and work together.

(Learn more about the One Love Peace Concert here)

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This entire event really related to one of Bob Marley’s biggest songs written back in 1965 but released on his “Exodus” Album in 1977 called One Love/People Get Ready, and in this song he sings –

“One Love! One Heart! Let’s get together and feel alright.”

This quote can be read in many ways. It could be talking about family and friends, it could be talking about Cities and Countries, it could be talking about enemies, but what it means is that Unity will bring happiness.

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One Love – We all have the same passion

One Heart – we all live for this passion and would be lost without it

Unity – working together to promote what we are passionate about and influence others to have the same amount of passion

Skateboarding is a tough industry. Everybody wants the good product, but nobody wants to pay the big money for it. I’ve seen so many Skate Shops and Indoor Skate Parks come and go over the years and it always comes down to money. They are 2 of the toughest businesses to run, but people keep trying. And without these people trying, we wouldn’t have these cool spots to go to that give us awesome memories for the rest of our lives. But there’s just too much competition out there, and sometimes people forget why they got into that business in the first place – because they loved skateboarding. They loved it so much that they wanted to dedicate their life to it.

These are the people we need to promote.

These are the people who need to unite and stop competing.

And that unity will bring better fortune to all.

Please join hands with me and say, “I love skateboarding…”

Now take a look around at all the other people that just said it with you and help each other to build a bigger future.

Check out a few of my favorite partnering websites and help us to make skateboarding the positive future for more generations to come

www.bcskateparks.com

www.skateriffraff.com

www.axs-gear.com

www.lshiphop.com

www.folkskateboard.ca

www.coastalriders.com

www.coastalbc.com

www.rollingbonespodcast.com

www.vans.ca

antisocialshop.com

www.blvdskateshop.com

www.rdsskatesupply.com

www.concreteskateboarding.com

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Most of Bob Marley’s songs were about political issues, battles for unity and freedom or just plain old love songs. But sometimes you could pick out a song that Bob wrote just by feeling it. Sometimes when you’re out in the world alone you just start singing, singing about what you’re doing and how you are feeling. That’s what the song “Sun is Shining” is like. I picture Bob hanging out on a big hill top just dancing under a tree singing about how beautiful it is outside, and how that weather makes him feel so good.

I quote the song –

“Sun is shining, weather is sweet; makes you want to move your dancing feet…”

 It’s true. The weather affects the mood of many people and when it’s not nice outside for long periods of time, depression can be a factor. I love the line in the song, “To the rescue, here I am…”, because it brings the reality of how the sunshine saves your mentality and makes you smile. All Winter in the land of Vancouver where we live it rains and rains, and people get bitter and sad. That’s reality. When the sun comes out, it instantly gets people outside of their condos and houses and they do things. They have fun. They smile and laugh. And maybe they even dance.

Summer has finally arrived and everywhere you look there are people smiling having a good time with one another. The conversations in the stores have changed from talking about what they are sick and tired of to asking how each other is feeling and talking about how gorgeous it is outside. But there’s always that last sentence of, “I hope it stays this way.”

We live for the sun and it keeps us alive. We anticipate it’s arrival each and every day. Without the sun the world would wither and die. So go outside and enjoy it. Sing a song and dance to your heart’s desire, and remember, when you don’t see it for long periods of time, it will return, and will take away the pain.

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You hear the saying all the time, “It’s a Jungle out there”…

Definitely a true statement. We all walk around the land, especially here in North America, believing that we are better than all other mammals living in the same food chain. But what we have to realize is that we are all trapped in a jungle that doesn’t end. Anyone or anything can take your life at any moment, you never know what’s creeping up on you. We are surrounded by society and its evil ways. Most people worry more about being attacked by the wild animals in the world than the people that live in their own neighbourhood. But reality is, the jungle is all around us.

Nothing is sacred, no one is safe.

 I quote Bob Marley from the song Concrete Jungle:

“No Chains around my feet but I’m not free…”

The Black Man overcame 400 years of Slavery, yet society will still not set them free. They are still tied down by the Corporate Government in so many ways. And we are all stuck in this mud too – we are all slaves to the corporate world.

That’s what the jungle is: A bunch of wild animals fighting each other for their own survival and trying to take from one another. No matter how hard you try to rise up, something will try harder to pull you back down. There really is no escape.

But don’t let this drag you down, it’s not the end of the world, It’s just something that all people need to recognize. We are all slaves. We are all tied down. We are all trapped in the same jungle. None of us are completely free in any way. But neither is any other living creature. The birds, the fish, the bees and ants – none of them are completely free. They all have to work for the life or they die. It’s not unfair, it’s just the way of the world.

When life pulls you down, you gotta pick yourself back up and find a way to put a smile on your face. Forget about your troubles and find what you love. Get as close to freedom as you can, but just remember to always watch your back, you never know what’s lurking out there

Welcome to the Jungle

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Life’s so easy when you’re a kid, even if you have it rough. You wake up in the morning and get ready for the day. Hopefully you get lots of time to play, and do the things you enjoy. You don’t really have to worry about money or the painful battle for survival. You don’t have to pay bills or worry about losing your job. Your biggest concern is usually trying to have fun without getting in trouble. The beautiful life.

As you get a little older, it changes a bit. You start being more concerned about your appearance, and what other people think of you. You want to fit in with the cool crowd and sometimes might do things you normally wouldn’t in order to do so. You start to get more responsibilities put on your plate, and less food. Your main concern becomes a little more complicated with some obstacles in the way, but it’s still all about having fun without getting in too much trouble. It’s a great life.

As you age some more and go out on your own into the cruel world, your life will change. You are now strapped down, and live for survival. Work to get paid, to pay for the things you need – shelter, food, clothing. Times get more serious and you might not enjoy life as much. You will start to refer to childhood as “The Good Old Days” and your body will begin to hurt. But through it all, it’s very important to always try to have fun and keep a smile on your face. Getting into trouble seems to cost a lot more now, so it’s smart to avoid it the best you can.

You never know what life is going to throw your way, or how fast it will throw it at you. Sometimes it may feel like the entire world is completely against you, like you are the sole person at the bottom of the pile and everyone dumps their garbage on top. Maybe you even want to give up, like you just can’t take any more of the abuse, of the pain, of the hurt…

I quote Bob Marley form the song Rainbow Country:

“Though the Road is Rocky – sure Feels Good to me.”

Bob is so amazing with his thoughts, and so strong. No matter what the situation, no matter what the cause of pain, you must step back and look at the rest of your life. Even if it’s been tough for a long time, remember the good old days. Think of the things that made you smile in your life and go do them. Bring back the past and put the present aside for a while, it may bring you a better future. We all have rocky roads we walk, and the paths are all a mystery, but you gotta put your head up and stand tall, walk with strength and confidence, and believe in yourself.

It will get better.