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I have a friend and I use that word rarely. A man who inspires me and has since I first met him. I've stood back and admired and enjoyed his success but of late he's been having it hard. But even in times of hardship, his words and attitude fill me with wonder. You may have heard of him, he's kind of famous (I think, I don't have a TV) but you wouldn't know it if you met him. You wouldn't realize if you came across his MySpace page.....

I wrote to him recently after a bit of a break. My life took a U-turn and I had problems of my own. I am always interested in what he has to say. Interesting, forthright people are a dying breed. Those of us who question everything and seek answers in unusual places. Ridicule a proven response, but I don't subscribe to that media sheep trick. Religious dogma, a rule book for the masses.....

I arrived in Los Angeles with the usual dreams of celebrity and musical success. Feeling rather sorry for myself after being somewhat eaten alive within days by the City of lost angels I received a call outside the Rainbow bar and grill on Sunset.....

"I arrived here with a suitcase full of tinned food and $25 and was sleeping in someone's closet."....

That from a man who was now staring in some primetime TV show he'd been filming in Austin.....

That brought me down a peg or two I must say.....

Dreams of super stardom were soon surpassed by thirst for truth anyway. I'd first encountered tales of 2012 theories on my friends MySpace page and locked away in a downtown, one room fleapit apartment block found myself on a search for the meaning of everything. The truth behind the lies.....

A shift is definitely upon us.....

I don’t comprehend all that he writes as our paths are of differing meanderings but the crux is the ability to think for oneself.....

We all have the ability to open our minds and question what we are told, though most of us seem too lazy to undo all the programming we are drip fed from birth. If one can achieve an attitude of infinite possibility based on personal experience then suddenly, life’s troubles and disappointments take on an irrelevance in the whole scheme of things.....

Within weeks of arriving the wife and I were penniless, homeless and pregnant.....

That's when another guardian angel swept in and helped us out. That, though, is another story.....

What is really important here?....

Being a successful actor/musician? Making oodles of money and having people recognize you in the street. Getting the best tables in the best restaurants and driving down Rodeo in a shiny, fast car?....

I was grateful for a space to rest our heads. For $2.50 to get something to eat from the Mexican market on Eldorado. Those Mexicans down there haven’t got shit but a smile and a song for you.....

Again, what really makes one "happy"?....

The free baby clinic and the dollar store. Aspirations replaced by relief.....

The Hollywood sign in the distance was an apparition of success. The Beverly Hills hotel, a temptation for the deluded.....

This was real life for the strong of will and pure of heart.....

I arrived I L.A an ideological buffoon and left an enlighten misfit.....

I saw my friend briefly before we left. He was kind enough to invite us to his party. He wanted to encompass all of those he had met along the way. The purveyors of the ups and the witnesses of the downs I suppose.....

We were bad. The stress, the strain, the worry and the pain. We made our excuses, the three of us now and had to leave early. And that was the last time I saw him.....

Now it seems he is in pain and has had to regroup once more, yet still his words inspire me. I could offer a token word of sympathy but instead empathize with life’s tests and questions. He doesn't need my attempts at wisdom. He has ample reserves of his own.....

Eighteen months and on and we are finally settled. A roof, a stove and some hope. A desperate drive from California to Memphis. A son born on 9/11 (of course!). Swimming the Atlantic and barely breathing. Departures and separations and still wrongs to right. Still challenges to face. But what of them?....

When someone wrongs me now, when life seems to be turning the screw I think, not "Oh! Why me?" or "Just my luck." No, I think, "what is the universe trying to teach me?"."Why is this happening and where is it leading?"....

Clarity and trust. Wisdom and truth.....

My friend, we only met a handful of times. You are 6000 miles away and I'm surprised you still have the inclination to write. I wish I had the words or the wisdom for you now but you will find the direction you need, of that I am sure.....

I don't need a house with a pool and a truck on the drive. An HD TV and a plastic life.....

I haven’t touched a guitar in twelve months.....

I need truth, wisdom and the word you spoke which came home to me so clearly. Clarity!....

I'm searching for mine and I hope you find yours soon.....

Peace to you my brother.