I’m Back – Five Years Later, a Whole Lifetime Lived 👋 Formerly known as
Hey Hive,
It’s been a while. Five years, to be exact. For those who remember me... hey again! For those who don’t, I used to go by Hidave, and I’m incredibly excited (and a little nervous) to be stepping back into this community.
So, where the hell have I been?
Life pulled me out of Australia and dropped me back in the United States, a place that somehow felt less familiar than the other side of the world and very lonely. I landed in Greenville, South Carolina: new city, no friends, no job, no money...Starting from scratch. The only skill I had? Selling gaming computers. So that’s what I did.
One year later, I was the top salesperson at my company — $2 million in gaming laptops sold, one laptop at a time.
Then everything changed.
Out of the blue, a local business mogul noticed my work. He handed me $2,000 and told me to quit on the spot and come work for him. So I did.
Suddenly, I was deep in the world of digital marketing... SEO, JSON, Google Ads, web design, flying to meet clients, closing deals. You name it. I sharpened my soft skills, built great client relationships, and climbed fast.
Then came a bonus check, I spent it on a dream vacation to Bora Bora, and a moment I’ll never forget.
On the flight home, I had gotten so fat I needed a seatbelt extender. The woman next to me texted her friend, where I could see it, "this fat piece of shit sitting next to me." A few hours later, on the connecting flight from LA to Greenville, I had suffered a heart attack on the plane. I didn’t even know it until I landed.
I had focused so much on survival when I returned to the USA that I completely neglected myself over those two years. I had gotten very unhealthy. My doctor told me I had only a few years to live and that I needed to live like I was dying... because I was. I wrote a will so people could inherit my vast empire of dirt, and I struggled to accept my impending death.
So, I quit everything. Left my job. Got rid of the stress.
I took a job at a dive shop and learned to SCUBA dive. Like I got reeeeeally good at it. My mentor called me one in a million. I became a divemaster and then a tech diver. I traveled the world exploring sunken WWII ships, German U-boats, aircraft carriers, and remote reefs in the Marquesas and Caribbean.
Learned octopus at 2 in the morning reeeeallly hate it when the humans shine dive lights in their face while they're trying to hunt. Learned sharks don't mind if you swim in a school of 200 or more of them, just so long as you act nonchalant about it.
I even trained with the county sheriff’s department for underwater search and recovery.
But one day, on a recovery mission, I found something that shattered me. Something I won’t describe entirely, but when I saw the terrified expression on that little boy's lifeless face, it broke me deeply. I had to step away from professional diving. I still dive, just for me now.
Looking for purpose again, I started volunteering at a local science center. That turned into a job teaching science to the public and running the 8th largest refractor telescope in North America every night. I showed people Saturn’s rings and the faint glimmer of distant nebulae, and slowly, I began to rediscover who I was again.
Even got featured on the news for my work at the observatory in three states.
But life was still hard. Old car. Failing health. I needed change.
Then I met Olly. A retired bodybuilder who ran the toughest, most old-school gym in South Carolina. He took me in like a brother. I cut off all my hair, lost over 100 pounds, gained 30 pounds in muscle, and went from benching 125 lbs to 325 lbs. I even won a state-level fitness competition. Along the way, the two of us started a men's mental health group to battle suicide.
With a new body and new confidence, I returned to the marketing world. Got my old job back, plus a promotion. Now I’m a senior account manager, department director, and marketing exec.
I even learned to fly. No literally.
I bought a reliable car, a BMW 335 twin-turbo, then one day I just gave it away to a Ukrainian refugee for free. He always dreamed of owning that exact model. And so after hearing his story, I just signed the tags over to him and handed him the key. He was speechless.
I replaced it with my dream car, a Mercedes SL 55 AMG. All in black
(Yes, I got arrested for driving it like a dream too hard. Worth it.)
These days, I still moonlight at the observatory. Last night, I showed the public Pluto and the beautiful binary star Albireo. I’ve become friends with astrophysics chairs across major universities, and I’ve taken up astrophotography on the side.
Launched a failed YouTube educational channel on astronomy. And yes...I still dive.
Love? That’s a story too. Fell for two different women, both named Lena. Neither worked out. I'll find love again someday.
But I’m here now. Back on Hive. With stories to tell, photos to share, and experiences I’d love to turn into conversations, collabs, and maybe even a few co-authored adventures.
If you’ve got a creative project, a story idea, or just want to say hi, reach out! I’m all in again. Let’s create something together.
Talk soon, HiDave (again)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
All photos in this post are mine, taken by me on my travels.
Not dead yet!