I’ve had a few great loves in my life. One of them is fishing, the rest of them are gone.

Let’s start from the Middle, because the beginning could be it’s own story. I was living the American Dream. I live in Florida, the sunshine state. I had a high paying, steady sales job that I absolutely hated. I had a long-term girlfriend; she wanted to get married. She even picked out the ring. We had a dog together, and a house that we rented. We made it our own, we decorated and painted. We went to the farmers market on the weekends, and made juice from the fruit and vegetables we bought there. I fished on the weekends, she had her Art. I was really content.

Throughout all of this I had moments, really just snapshots in the dark, where all that outside stuff didn’t matter. Where the future and the past had no bearing. For me they just happened to be while I was on the water. My mother has always told a story that the only time I stopped crying as an infant was when I first saw a dolphin. I’ve always been drawn to the water, and the creatures that lurk beneath it. There’s a mystery that separates the inhabitants of that other state of matter from us. I’ve always wanted to solve it.

The future was pretty clear: Get married. Have two kids on purpose, and one more by accident. Buy a house. Get promoted at work. Save some money. Go on some family vacations. Fish when you can. Retire, so you can finally do what you want. Sound familiar? All my life, I’ve heard this is the formula for success, but success at what? Who am I competing with, and who signed me up for this game?

This plan didn’t work out for me. One by one the things I had taken for granted started to go in strange, new directions. My girlfriend found out she was losing her job, and then I lost mine. I started employment at a new place very quickly, she didn’t. See, unbeknownst to me, she had been unhappy for a while. She wanted to explore the world (read: go to Europe). She wanted something new and exciting, and I didn’t fit into that plan. I don’t hold it against her though, maybe she realized how silly this thing we do is. Maybe she couldn’t handle it. She left me with her (our) dog: Zooey.

Zooey and I lived together for a bittersweet and quite lonely month and a half. Thank god for her, because I was in a very weird state. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. I woke up, went to work, came home, and tried to fill the rest of the time with anything I could. My now-ex girlfriend came back to The States, and I dropped the dog off with her. I quickly came to hate my new job as much as my old one. I couldn’t sit in front of the phone or the computer anymore. After a particularly frustrating day, I realized it had to be my last.

So I was unemployed. I hung out with friends, stayed up late, made funny videos for Instagram and Facebook. I tried to figure out a plan, interviewed at a bunch of jobs, even started a few. I still felt empty. I couldn’t devote myself to anything. I filled my days well enough, but when night came and I was alone, I felt like I was screwing it all up. I know I’ve never quite fit in with everyone else. I’ve always had the feeling of being an outsider. I have this crushing weight on me, a feeling that there’s more to life than this package we’ve all been sold.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I don’t pretend to know the meaning of life. My personal belief is that there may not be one. I know that I am here. I know that I have a passion. For me to not explore that passion and devote my all to it, at least for a little while, would be a crime against my own humanity.

I am leaving soon on a trip with many purposes:

I want to explore and travel, and I think I already live in one of the most diverse, accommodating, and beautiful countries on Earth: The United States of America.
I want to get back in touch with the nature I grew to love and appreciate as I child.
I want to hone my skill for my one great passion that I have left: Fly-Fishing

I am traveling from Florida to the border of Canada. I will fly fish in every state along the way. I want to learn and grow from the various cultures and people I will meet. I want to have an Adventure.

Interests

Fly Fishing
Live Music
Literature
Kayaking
Hiking
Hockey

• dogs
• fish
• arts
• literature
• cooking
• working out
• flying
• traveling
• music
• live music
• fishing
• hiking
• kayaking
• hockey

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Animal Collective, Bonobo, The Band, Beirut, Benji Hughes, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Charles Bradley, Crystal Fighters, Darkside, Elliott Smith, The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia Band, Jim James, Metronomy, My Morning Jacket, Miike Snow, Panda Bear, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Tune-Yards

Books: Sci Fi

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Fishing, Music, Literature

Learn: Anything

Share: Whatever I got

What I Can Share with Hosts

A true story, with an uncertain ending. A discussion of the acceptance and rejection of modern ideals. I can cook pretty well (used to be a chef at one point). I clean up after myself.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Dominican Republic, England, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States