Life is Better on the Water

07/16/2026

“Hot tub later?” read across the screen as my fat fingers punched the tiny keyboard of my smartphone. It was 2:46pm on February 23rd He and I just wrapped up clearing our own driveways after a heavy snowfall. I knew he was soar. I knew he was tired.

I helped him the night before and could tell he was fatigued. He had a lingering cough and was short of breath for a number of weeks after a Covid diagnosis, yet he was determined to finish. I grabbed a second shovel just shortly after I pulled up to his house that night and offered a hand when the snowfall first began to accumulate. Hoping it would help a little knowing the majority of it was yet to come.

“Yeah I guess... If not me, Gray will go” he reciprocated.

I thought the hot tub might help with the aches and pains we both were dealing with after moving wet snow for what seemed like days.

Hours passed when I felt my phone vibrate in my front left pocket. “We r a bust for tonight... everyone’s tired” he wrote at 6:13pm. Clearly the manual labor had taken its toll on him, as well as his family that helped him that day. I don’t blame them. I was exhausted myself. To be honest, I was actually ready for bed.

“No worries…” I responded as I laid on the couch with my feet elevated.

(“No worries.” My final words to him.)

February 26th, 3 days later, I lost my best friend, my brother. Life from that moment on has never been the same.

07/13/2026

07/04/2026

Something special about a southwest sunshine, even when the clouds roll in to offer some shade.

07/03/2026

Adios Southwest Florida! Until next time.

06/27/2026

Yesterday marked 4 months since I lost my brother Adam. I’ve never felt loss like I did when he left me February 26th. My best friend since day one gone in a blink of an eye.

People always try to reassure you when you lose someone that “things get easier”. But what if that’s not what everybody wants? What if some are content with the daily grief? When the grieving stops does that mean you’ve gotten “over it”?

My wife, one of the strongest woman I know, was diagnosed with breast cancer over a decade ago. From that moment our priorities shifted. We’d always been taught to “work hard, save your money, plan for retirement”. We quickly learned many years ago that for some there’s an alternate plan and life may not be as long as you expected.

We said “f**k the new kitchen. F**k the bathroom remodel. F**k the big house and flashy cars!”

We live a modest life. I wear clothes from Walmart so I can have the second-hand boat. My socks… full of holes so I can plan the family vacations. My sneakers… torn so I can provide my kids with a higher education.

Yesterday I woke at 5am and passed my motorcycle class. Something that’s been on my bucket list for years. My wife surprised me with tickets to go see Gigi Perez and Noah Kahn… then I slept comfortable in my tiny little apartment in Center City Philly.

My point being…no amount of money will ever replace experiencing life “in the moment”. Stop planning for tomorrow when you’re living today.

Buy the boat. Plan the vacation. Get that tiny apartment you can escape to. Go see the concert you can’t afford… because with you hesitate to make a decision, you’ll miss the opportunity to make a memory.

06/23/2026

Good morning friends!!! I just wanted to share a quick update with everyone. Piper and Natalie have been in communication with Brian from Affordable Hyperbarics and after going through 3 different options in depth we are going with an OxyRevo Apex 40 ProSeries Extra LARGE Versatile Sit Up/LieDown Hyperbaric Chamber 1.5ATA. Your generous contribution has made this happen!!! It looks like it will take about 2-3 weeks for it to arrive to Barbados. I will continue to keep everyone posted. We could not have done this without your help. I speak on behalf of the McChlery family when I say we are forever grateful! - John

Click the following link to continue supporting our journey! https://gofund.me/8077511dc

06/21/2026

I struggle many days to find my purpose in life. Then I get reminders like this from my kids and all my questions and wonders are go away. I could not think of a better way to spend the last 21 years of my life than raising an amazingly beautiful family.

06/21/2026

Bucklist moment lastnight. Decided to go see Rebelution with my better half and am so happy we did. One of the best concerts I’ve been to in the last decade. I’ve been listening to them for years but have never seen them live. I’ve always felt like they were a rock inspired reggae band, but lastnight they were more of a reggae inspired rock band. 🤘🏼😎

06/20/2026

After 3 decades of alcohol consumption I told myself that my body deserved more. The last several years I’ve dealt with so many issues that come along with age. Chronic fatigue, chronic inflammation, chronic joint pain, anxiety, depression, gut issues… and the list goes on and in. I’ve had numerous tests from bloodwork, parasite tests, a colonoscopy, small bowl tests, barium tests, and so on to get the same answer… “everything looks good”.

February 20th I woke up after a bit of a bender and decided I needed to make some lifestyle changes. Six days later I lost my one and only brother unexpectedly. My best friend gone.

It’s no surprise that he and I were never in great shape. After he passed I made a promise to myself (and him for that matter) that I would work on my health… physical, mental and spiritual.

Today I celebrate 4 months of sobriety. While my issues have not completely gone away, they have improved substantially. I’ve been fortunate to lose around 40lbs and I’ve made a motion to get help with my anxiety and depression. Overall I am very happy with where I am and plan on continuing with this forward motion. Thank you to all who have provided support these last 4 months.

06/13/2026

If you’re in or around Philly today go check out Kaia Brynn at the Crane Arts center. She is selling some of her work at the event put on by InLiquid from 12-6. Tell her dad said “hello!” So proud of this kid for following her passion!