What is life without Adventure,
By Callison Nash
(aka) Robin D. Berg
FORWARD
Buckle up, I am about to take you along for a rollercoaster ride, on many real life adventures that I will share in a series of chapters.
First, a little background… I HATED High School, I was a D- student all four years.
I was a social outcast, bullied by popular kids that went on to 9-5 jobs. I hated my teachers and they also had no love for me. Not that I was trouble, I was completely absorbed in my own mind, already living a life of adventure through books and magazines that captivated me, and had no time for anything that did not interest me. The counselors would tell my mother and stepfather, "He's not dumb, we just can't seem to reach him". In retrospect, thank god they couldn't! They would have crushed a spirit that was determined to live life on my own terms. Now I fully recognize that most humans need rules to keep them on track, they need a boss to tell them what to do, they need guidelines and goal posts to feel secure, all of which are vexations to my spirit. And I also fully understand that those souls are vitally important to a thriving economy and functioning society. But in a nutshell, here's my approach to everything I have ever excelled at. I jump into very deep waters usually posted with dire warning signs and swim my ass off until I get where I want to go. Does this approach always work? Nope, but if you're afraid of deep water I suggest staying on the shore and watching the pretty sunsets from your permanent station in life. But… If you want to experience exhilaration, gut wrenching thrills, a feeling of success that few will ever know, much less understand, then please read on and live vicariously through my adventures. And if it challenges you to step beyond your comfort zone, I embrace you as a fellow thrill seeker and risk taker. But first a disclaimer… I do not engage in uncalculated, stupid risks that lead to nowhere or drastically shorten my lifespan (though that certainly could have happened).
Yes… you will find many of the stories that I share shocking in their seemingly mindless disregard for safety or danger, but trust me, I assessed each very carefully, prepared meticulously, and envisioned the rewards for succeeding, including living a life of real adventure. For me, there never was any choice, my DNA demands it, and for that I am thankful.
Before I punch your E-Ticket, let me give you a brief overview of my life. At the age of 17, with my parents permission, I enlisted in the US Navy, and became a Deep Sea Diver, engrossed myself in martial arts and fought some of the best at the time, pursued a career as a recording artist which has become a sustaining force in my life, jumped out of airplanes over 4,000 times, survived a plane crash, became the world silver medalist in freestyle skydiving. Was recruited by ESPN and ABC Wide World of Sports when skysurfing became part of the X-Games. I then became a stunt man, (I was Vin Diesel's stunt double for the Motion Picture Triple-X. My stunt coordinator Harry O'Connor was killed on the set living by the very creed I am sharing with you and that story will be told later). Started a TV production company producing 400 episodes of adventure TV. (Of course after being told I would never succeed) This opened the door to numerous adventures From Alaska to Florida's Everglades, to Africa, Turkey, the Gulf of Mexico to name a few. Intentionally encountering very dangerous wildlife in the open sea, swamps, rivers, and mountains.
And I have been there often when others paid dearly, if you have ever heard someone hit the ground at terminal velocity with no chute out, (It sounds like a cannon shot, and it never leaves you) or had to rush someone to an emergency room suffering from a horrible snake bite by a giant diamondback rattlesnake, you know something of what I write.
Hunter S. Thompson once wrote, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
So onward we go, may you read the chapters that follow with a ball of ice in your stomach, a growing thirst for adventure, and most importantly, an open mind.
Callison Nash
June 2017
Filming a 1000 pound mako shark 40 miles offshore.
