From the chapter entitled The Adventure Begins:

I looked up and watched Captain Taka and the Nanami pull away. My stomach lurched and my head started to pound. I ran wildly to the water’s edge, screaming hysterically, “Wait! Come back! I’ve changed my mind!” Waving my arms wildly in the air, desperately jumping up and down, I screamed, “Come back! Come back! Don’t leave me here!”

I saw Captain Taka turn to look at me. I waved harder, motioning for him to turn his boat around and come back. He simply raised his hand, gave me a friendly wave back, and churned off into the vastness of the open ocean.

I stared in disbelief as the Nanami and its captain become a small dot on the horizon. Absolute terror raced through my body as the enormity of my reckless decision came crashing down upon me. My legs buckled beneath me. My face ploughed into the hot sand. I began to shake uncontrollably. Graham, what have you done?

My brain raced wildly, seized by the fact that I was now totally alone on a deserted island. Again. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no TV, no internet, no pizza delivery, no nothing! Alone, abandoned, 24/7 – for 30 days! Not the three days I was marooned here last time. 30 days! Shit! What was I thinking?

Graham Alexander Connelly, my mind screeched vehemently, camping, to you, is a five-star hotel; roughing it is anything less than that! What on earth are you doing here? The question broke my panic just enough to allow for the realization that, this time, I could phone Captain Taka at any time and request that he come and pick me up. Even though he did not respond to my frantic waving, I somehow knew he would come back if I called him.

With that understanding, the fear slowly began to subside. My heart beat began to slow. I eased myself to a sitting position and the pain in my chest began to lessen. I stared long and hard at the open, relentless ocean, but could no longer see any sign of the Nanami. Okay, now what?

I became aware of the sand that now caked my face. It was in my ears and my nose. My teeth were gritty and my mouth was as dry as a desert. “Get up,” I said. No one could hear me, so what did it matter if I chastized myself? “Get your fat, lazy, out-of-shape body into the water and clean up. Quit wallowing in self-pity. You put yourself here!”

I decided to go look for my swimsuit. As I struggled to stand, I was struck by a wave of amusement. How absurd! Here I was, master and ruler of my own deserted island, and I was going to don a swimsuit. “Wow!” I said, as I realized I was so conditioned to wear a swimsuit that I never considered NOT packing one. I wondered how many other things I did without thinking.

I left my sand-caked clothes on the beach and walked into the warm, tropical water. As I lazily floated in the salt water I couldn’t help but notice that the jungle was really thick behind the area I intended to set up as home for the next month. It was dense with palm trees, tall grasses and a bunch of trees that I couldn’t identify; I hadn’t thought about researching trees and vegetation when I was preparing for my stay on the island. I’m not a colors kind of guy, but the jungle seemed to be painted in hundreds of different shades of green. I just noticed this for the first time, which was weird because I’d been on this island before.

“A Warrior’s Heart: The Awakening certainly has touched a place in my heart, reaffirming the greatest gifts in our life come from connection to our Source and not our pain. A must read!”
- Nancy Battye, Speaker, Writer, Radio Show & Interview Host, Life Coach

“This delightful and compelling story about a man’s desire for a deeper existence is entertaining and enlightening. A Warrior’s Heart: The Awakening shares a transformation we all long for – how to become a more conscious, heart-centered being. Through the journey, you’ll be inspired to take a different look at how you live your own life.”
- Shawne Duperon, Six-Time EMMY® Winner, ShawneTV.“LOVE this book!

A wonderful adventure of survival and self-exploration, it’s a brilliant, engaging read from start to finish. You will not want to put it down.”
- Teresa de Grosbois, Word Of Mouth Marketing Expert, Bestselling Author, International Speaker, Founder of The Evolutionary Business Council

“You will discover in A Warrior’s Heart: The Awakening, the greatest adventure is the spiritual quest to awaken to the truth that you always have been, and always will be, loveable and loved. You will learn that it is through finding a place of stillness within and letting go of how you think things should be, or should have been, that you can truly open to love and discover the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary tasks of living.”
-Jacqueline Bignell, Executive Producer, The Difference Movie