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We did it Dad, against the odds.


Against the odds or once upon a time a boy woke up to find he had a penis – Part Two.

It is a beautiful Saturday morning in Bondi and I am thinking about my father.

Jack ‘Hollywood’ Stewart.

As I watch the morning sun bouncing off the azure blue ocean my eyes raise to the clear sky and I thank God I am alive.

I am also thankful for my father.

He stuck by me when I was in a free falling descent fueled by tequila and cocaine.

He showed me strength and resilience when I had none, and his gentle love has allowed me to become a man.

Against the Odds!

His example of fatherhood has given me the ability to learn and grow as a man, and be a present and loving father to my three sons.

My parenting has not been perfect.

The example I have set my sons is flawed.

But I am present.

Available.

Congruent.

We leave legacies in life and the legacies I leave my sons is vulnerability, forgiveness, kindness and gentleness.

And never giving up!

I will never give up on them and I never give up on myself.

No matter what.

Come what may.

The way of the spirit is forward.

One step in front of the other.

Moving forward does not mean we do not fall down.

Being human means we are always making mistakes and my observation has shown me that the strongest people are those that embrace their errors.

So, I’m going to give mine a big hug.

My errors, and my Dad and my sons.

Big hugs.

And as my father has taught me, the pursuit of perfectionism is a race for boys.

And I’m sick of chasing things I can never catch.

So, thank you Dad.

We did it, against the odds.

Need to read more?

Buy a copy of One Day, One Life: One Day One Life



I would love to see every young person in Australia have a year off alcohol.

WHY?

Freedom of choice.

Alcohol dilutes freedom of choice and fills the silence with noise.

Pollution.

And yes, there is great joy in the distortion of reality.

It can be a helluva ride and big part of me says to go for it!

Enjoy the ride!

A smaller part of me is jealous, because it is a lot of fun.

However, the wiser part of me says it’s time to put the issue on open forum.

Public debate.

I believe it is the largest social problem in Australia and walks hand-in-hand with credit card debt.

Our youth are bombarded by images of beautiful women on beautiful boats sipping chilled vodka.

In magazines.

TV.

Social media celebrates the rite of passage of public, drunken degradation.

And if it remained just a rite of passage, alcohol abuse may be acceptable, but it is not.

It becomes a lifetime scourge that deforms, stunts, and corrupts.

It stops people growing.

It mires communities into drama and violence, and it keeps society on the back foot.

And guess what?

I would love to see every young man and woman in Australia have a whole year alcohol-free.

As adults.

To see what it is like to live without alcohol in your system.

To experientially give every mature Aussie a social freedom of choice.

To feel your nerves tingling and tangling without anxiety.

To feel all your senses come alive with joy.

Seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and touching.

Amplified, not dulled.

To experience the beauty and wonder of sober sex.

To look into your loved one’s yes and really see the person behind the iris.

Really see.

Need to read more?

This is an excerpt from One Day, One Life: P. 136-7. One Day One Life

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