Monday, July 21, 2008

Family, tribe, and simplicity

Last night I was part of a wonderful surf event.  Shaun Tomson and
Rabbit Bartholomew were in Asbury Park to show 'Bustin Down the
Door".  Their movie was the 1st of a double feature that included "Surfwise"
the story of the Paskowitz family.  Together they showed 2 distinct yet similar
sides of "our tribe".

Seeing surf related movies in a theatre, on a big screen is not as common 
on the east coast as it is in California.  That results in the movie being a
"gathering of the tribe".  It was very cool to see fathers, now in their 40's or
50's with their sons and daughters, gathering to see their heros.  I can't
begin to tell you how many times during the week before the showing that
people told me that Shaun and Rabbit were their heros when they were groms.
Watching their children see their stoke was quite special.  It was also amazing
to have the younger surfers, who take the professional surfing and surf industry
sponsors for granted, see how it all began, see how it was done simply for 
passion and a dream. 

Both movies showed the power of love, friendship, commitment, respect, and
family.  They both clearly illustrated that passion and aloha can often give us
much more than money or material things or brash cockiness. Being in the company of Shaun and Rabbit, 2 icons, 2 friends for many many years who have shared both joy and
tragedy, good times and bad meant was instructive.  Seeing the Paskowitz family
come full circle taught an equally important lesson.

There is a poster in my office that I bought in Hawaii many years ago.  It is called
Hawaiian Rules.  One of the rules states that "the best things in life aren't things".
Last night brought that message home to many of the 600 or so tribe members who
were inside the wonderful old Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park.

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