SOBER X

14/06/2024

12/06/2024

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

12/06/2024

in the garden of recovery, every day is a new bloom.

11/06/2024

It's not always easy, but just take it one day at a time. You've got this!

24/12/2023

Last night I got the unexpected phone call from my new great friend Nandi that he would be leaving this morning to work on the fishing boat.

I could feel the pain and sorrow in his voice as he tried to be strong. Essentially he must go to provide for his family. He sent me a message saying:

“Hello my friend, How's going?? Miss you. Tomorrow I will go to the fishing. Couldn't tell when I come back. Now it's too much hard for me but I must go. I need feed my family. It's not easy job now for me. With my age😪 When I was young, I did my best.

So, how's you? How's your journey? Send me message if you can before I go. Be careful always. Miss you so much...”

During my time in Sri Lanka he quickly became my best friend. He constantly looked out for me. I am now very close to his sons whom I’ve seen nearly everyday the past month.

3 days ago I knew I needed to leave Welligama, the amazing surf that I’ve fallen in love with. I went to the city and was planning to return today and spend Christmas with Nandi and his family. This morning I now know he’s leaving and there is no telling when we will meet again.

Nandi always made sure that everyone knew I was with him. He introduced me to everyone. He took my dirty laundry to his house and his wife did it. He took me to cool places. He should me houses to rent, business I could buy or start, people to avoid or to connect with.

He really made me feel like a king.

I knew he didn’t have much and always offered money and food, most of which was humbly declined. In many cases I had to force buying a meal for him and giving him $10-$15 here and there.

When I learned more about his humble life he’s a famous fisherman and his profession is grueling and difficult. They leave for weeks and months at a time, working 14 hours a day. When they return the avg salary is 150,000LKR equaling only $460.

Go ahead and do the math. It’s hard to imagine being paid $15 a day or a little over $1 an hour. Being away from your family, performing one of the hardest professions in the world.

This is a swift and powerful and painful reminder:

❌ Don’t complain about your situation, someone has is much harder. Everyone has a mountain to climb, it’s your attitude that will determine your latitude.

❌ Be grateful with everything and everyone you have in your life now as you never know when it will be gone. You may wake up one Christmas Eve and the person you thought you’d see that day is headed to sea. This being the best of the possibilities when “losing someone”

❌ Deep immersion into foreign tribes and cultures is VERY difficult You want to stay forever and never stop helping and being a part of the tribe. You see your power to help change their lives. You begin to feel like family and this new world becomes your home. You wish you had unlimited time, money and energy to give your life to this tribe.

I believe this is what the Bible was talking about in making yourself a “living sacrifice.”

I can’t even begin to explain the happiness and joy I’ve experienced in these situations. It’s certainly come with a heavy price. The amount of tears I’ve shed for people all over this fascinating world reminds me that I am a World Traveler.

The sorrow is just a part of the price and the process. I’ll never forget one of the last things Mimi said to me, “you are a fisherman of fishermen” I always knew what she meant, but until this very moment I never knew what that meant for my life or what I would have to do to fill those shoes.

Jane Hammon said, “Stephen is harvester of harvesters, marked as a Revivalist that will lead a generation into a place of Harvest.”

The only reason I share all this is that I encourage everyone to not do what is easy, do what is difficult. Put all your energy and effort into pursuing your calling in life even if that seems to be way beyond your comfort zone.

This morning I am feeling for my brother Nandi. I didn’t realize it until a week ago but he had a very bad shoulder injury and I now know why this strong and humble fisherman is struggling to go back to sea. His physical pain is causing severe emotional distress. I pray he has the wind at his back!

Merry Christmas Nandi until we meet again my brother, I’ll go visit your family when you are gone.

❌ Marks the Spot
Stephen Munson, World Traveler X

17/12/2023

You are the prey to the hungriest predator and you are being hunted around the clock.

If you aren’t having peace, prosperity and growth in your life than you must change.

If you aren’t having breakthroughs in your life you are probably not in the right environment or not asking yourself the right questions.

Are you too comfortable?
Are you too complacent?
Are you around the right people?
Are you pushing yourself?
Do you have a multitude of “wise” council?
Are you distracted?

The temptations and distractions in the world today are at an all time high. During my 9 months in Florida this year I realized that even my I-Phone was manipulating me. The phone would show all the corruption, wars, rumors of wars, the political unrest, the deceit, the demise. I’ve been gone over 40 days now and my phone doesn’t even show me this stuff anymore.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

We are all being targeted and based on your geo-location you are the prey of one vicious predator. You are being watched and hunted, but that’s only the first half of the story and promise on our lives.

The second part is where all the fruit lies. It’s where we must put our focus and energy.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest”

It’s rather simple and fundamental and this isn’t about religion or politics. At this point I have more than one good friend who is within a different social and cultural sphere.

A Buddhist friend living in Asia, a Muslim friend living in the Middle East, a Jewish friend living in Palestine, a Christian living in Africa, a Hindu living in America.

You can be a monk, a Nun, a teacher, a preacher, a believer, an atheist, an author, a plumber, a painter, a farmer, a hunter, a mother, a father, a student or even a World Traveler. You can be all of the above if you so wish, however you can’t escape basic life.

You are born and you will die. You get what you give. Do unto others as you wish them to do to you. Honor your parents. Never look back. Go the extra mile. Humility is of the highest importance. Forgiveness is a must.

Every place in the world has its own dose of life with various disadvantages, distractions and discipline must be addressed.

Are you disciplined enough to stay on YOUR path? Are you disciplined enough to keep and maintain strong habits? Are you disciplined enough to say no and never look back? Are you disciplined enough to create strong boundaries?

Remember the power of deservabilty (spelling? Haha) you don’t even have to know how to write or spell and you can still believe in yourself, your power, your purpose, your peace and your prosperity.

If you think you are better than others than start acting that way by not thinking that way. We are unique, hand woven and created for greatness.

I believe it takes oneself to wake up one day and say, “NO MORE!” I refuse to live this way. I am going to get up, shake off the past, press on and persevere.

It’s legacy season and the more we help one other the better we will all be.

❌ Marks the Spot
Stephen Munson, World Traveler ❌