From a young age, I was drawn to adventure and survival, learning essential skills from my grandfathers, a commercial fisherman and a hunter/farmer. By the age of 12, I was well-versed in survival techniques, and my mother often called me an adventurer at heart. Though I was born in an era where the world had already been mapped, I chose to carve my own unique path, embracing challenges and seeking extraordinary experiences
Every time I take my son Haruki-Anthony (Haru) on a bike ride, or a hike, or a trail run, or a camping trip, I fondly recall climbing trees, exploring creeks, catching fish, walking through the forest, learning about nature and imagining endless possibilities. Often my friends and I slept overnight in the forest. We didn’t have mobile phones to call or text. Somehow our parents knew that we were all right and didn’t worry about terrorists, child molesters or deadly viruses. My friends and I rode our bikes for miles. It added so much flavor and excitement to my life. I wanted to pass that to my son. I wanted to introduce him to the wonder that lies just outside our doors. I started acquainting him with nature right after his first birthday. The last five years we have spent most of our weekends out in the nature doing many little things, like bird watching, hiking, identifying native species in our backyard, and disorganized creative play (by playing role model).
“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.”
