1/31/09 Asbury Park

The sun is bright.  The sky is an amazing blue.

Frozen sand crunches and squeaks as I walk.

Happy runs playfully exploring sticks, rocks, and

assorted beach stuff.  There isn't a soul around, must be

the cold.  According to "your local weather on the 8's"

it is 21 degrees and with the wind chill factor 11.  I hate

the cold but I must admit there is something special about 

today.

As I walk south along the beach I see the same view of

Convention Hall that Mickey Rourke sees in the "Wrestler".

The same views that appear in Springstein videos.  Something

about a deserted Asbury Park in the winter that is haunting,

special.

After about an hour or so a few other dogs and their owners

appear.  The spell is broken.  Happy and I are both kind of

glad to have the company.  

Look closely

The beach at Domes in Rincon Puerto Rico

is an interesting place.  Sure people know

it for the punchy waves that break there.  It is

also infamous as a break loved by pesky swarms

of body boarders.  On weekends or when the beach

becomes a contest site it transforms into real a cultural

scene.

One of my favorite things about the beach however is

something many  people overlook.  The northeastern 

section of beach is home to thousands of hermit crabs. 

You barely notice them at first but when you take the

time to look closely you realize that the beach is filled

with crabs crawling everywhere.  When I first point

them out to visitors they are amazed at the sight.

The world and our lives are filled with little wonderful

things that we can only see when we look closely. All

to often we don;t see what is all around and what makes

being alive on this planet a wonder and a miracle. Try

looking closely at the little things.  

Saved by the Sea

David Helvarg is an exceptional writer and ocean 

activist.  If you have never seen his books 50 Ways to

Save the Ocean and the Blue Frontier you should check 

them out.  He also masterminded an upcoming conference

called the Blue Vision Summit in Washington DC scheduled

for early March.  Google it and check it out.

David recently wrote an article on emagazine.com entitled

"Saved by the Sea".  It surely resonated with me and I'm sure

it will with many of you as well.  The ocean is such 

important place for so many of us.  It provides peace, solice,

joy, respite, and wonder.  I am drawn to the sea like so

many of you, like so many in history.

It gives us so much we all must do what we can to repay our

debt.  Become an activist who is committed to saving the

seas, return the favor.  How many times have you been

"Saved by the Sea"?

A Surfer's Farewell

Have you ever witnessed a memorial paddle out for a

surfer who has died? Have you ever been a participant?

These ceremonies may seem strange to the uninitiated,

somewhat mysterious.

Surfer's gather on the beach huddle together exchanging

nods or brief hellos,  take the flowers or lei's

that someone thoughtfully brought, and after a few moments

all paddle out into the ocean.  Once they have arrived at

a spot out past the lineup, past the breakers, they form a

circle facing inward.  Someone who knew the departed surfer

well usually begins by saying a few words about their friend, others

take their turn.  Words are often touching memories and at times

humorous comments.  Tears mix with smiles.  The paddlers draw in

the circle holding hands as someone  usually begins a chant.  The

flowers are tossed into the center of the circle as a final goodbye

than the assembled surfers head to shore hopefully catching a wave

for their comrade.  There are hoots and hollers and all too soon

the ceremony is over.

Yesterday I took part in such a paddle out.  Alan Wolf was a surfer

I knew only casually.  He always shared his joy and aloha spirit with

everyone in the lineup.  His warmth and connection with the seasonal

community of Rincon was obvious.  That sense of community really

touched me as I looked around the circle.  Faces I've seen for years,

some who I knew as friends or by name, others with whom I'd

exchanged a friendly nod.  

This is, in part, what being a surfer is about.  Being part of 

a community,sharing a love of  a place and a of a lifestyle that

binds us together.  This is what can and should be an example

to us all.  We are all part of a much larger community, all share 

a planet.  We are all in this together for a short while.  To

paraphrase or quote Gandhi - be the change you want to

see in the world.

universal unconsciousness

Today was the first day of an Alberta Clipper cold

front.  For those who (unlike most surfers) are not

devotees of the Weather Channel, and who can't rattle

off the first and last names of at least 8 on air meteorologists,

an Alberta Clipper is a fast moving cold front coming 

from the Arctic region that sends strong NW winds and frigid 

temperatures into the central and eastern US.  When I

say cold I mean cold,  high temperatures under 20 degrees and

wind chills around zero.  Nasty, bone chilling, cold winter 

weather.

No surprise that today my phone began to ring.  Friends asking

if I was heading to Puerto Rico anytime soon.  Each of the

callers, none of whom knew each other, all had the same

thoughts in mind.  Alberta Clippers, more times than not, make for

the kind of swells that light up PR.  My callers I'll bet all had the

same sequence of thoughts that went something like this - " a big

cold front... PR should be good... it's after the holidays and fares might

be cheap... it's too cold to do anything here... I'd love to get away and

score some warm water surf... spring and warmer water

are a long way away... I really hate 5 mils...let me get out of here and go

surf".  Amazing how so many people can share the same thoughts.  Is that

what George Orwell called "group think" or what Carl Jung called the 

"universal unconscious"? Might it be an example of "great minds thinking alike"?

 Na...probably not...surfers in cold climates are all the same. Sometimes

not so original at all.  I'm outta here on Friday.

The Sustainability Paradox

I love visual models that help us understand theoretical constructs

or ideas.  I actually spent quite a few years of my professional life

helping refine a model of the coping process.  

Models  can help us organize and understand things better.

I recently came across a model that, for me, clearly illustrated the

problem we have gotten into as a species living on this wonderful

planet.  We've all seen  3 ring overlapping circles - the 3 ring signs.

Oft times they are used to show how things overlap or share

certain characteristics.  Well, imagine 3 circles labeled environment,

economy and health.  In the center of the 3 is the smallest area where

the circles intersect.  That area depicts sustainability for the economy,

for the environment, and for the health of our species.  

Looking at things this way helps us see how often

what might be good for the economy (making the 2.5 million 

plastic bottles we in the US use per hour) might actually not be good

for the environment, or for our health and well being. It also

shows how what might be good for the environment(conserving

finite resources) might not be good for the economy. We can also

see that what is good for the economy and/or environment might not

enhance our sense of well being or our lifestyles (living in bigger houses

or not having a waterview)

The sustainability of our oceans. our planet, and our health

depends on that small area of intersect.  In a simple way it's

like the intersect of the wind, tide, and swell that we rely on for

those epic sessions

A Lucky Guy

I'm a very lucky guy.  It may sound trite but as the

t-shirts, hats, and posters say "Life is good".  Every now 

and then you have a day that reminds you just how

grateful you should be.  Yesterday was that kind a day for me.

It began with my usual morning walk along the beach with

my dog Happy  A clear winter day with perfect (for dreaming)

6 inch waves. Oh well, no surf.  It wasn't really even that cold 

thanks to Patagonia caplene base layers and a light wind.  Someone I 

barely know, a fellow dog walker and trash gatherer,

wished me a happy birthday.  How he knew it was my

birthday remains a mystery to me.  Sure was a pleasant and

kind surprise!  Next came the phone calls

from family and friends wishing me well. The calls warmed 

my heart,  let me know that I am connected and cared about.

After seeing a few patients in the office, always a grounding

experience, I took my 91 year old mother for a walk on the

boardwalk.  Sure was nice to get her out of her apartment for a bit.

Cold winters can be tough on a dependent 91 year old.

They can keep you indoors and kind of alone here at

the Jersey Shore.  That's not a healthy thing.  As mom and I

walked all I could do was think about how happy I am

that she is still here, still relatively healthy, still able to go for a walk.

The early evening brought more treats.  Steve Mullen, the

founder of the South Jersey Chapter of Surfrider, and

a really good photographer (www.stevemullenphoto.com) was

being featured at a new art gallery in Asbury Park.  A number of 

friends showed up to check out Steve's work and enjoy the opportunity

to spend some time together.  One couple, having just returned from

PR,  was filled with stories about their trip.  Another dear friend

gave me a big birthday bear hug, a card that plays "Wipeout" when

you open it, a gift certificate to my local surf shop, and a Cuban cigar!

After the gallery it was off to dinner with my wife, my kids, 

their spouses, and my grandchildren.  How great is that.  I'm a lucky

guy.  I'm blessed with good friends, a great wife and family, and

my health.  It doesn't get much better than that! If you look at it

the right way I'll bet you are lucky too.