Simon is one year old today

My grandson Simon is a year old today.  What

amazing changes have taken place in these 12 short

months.  His world, his capabilities and ours are

surely different than they were one year ago.

A year ago most weren't thinking about the global

recession, didn't know what AIG was.  A year ago

a glacier in Iceland was a few feet larger than it

is today.  A year ago billions of plastic bags had yet

to be manufactured and millions of plastic water

bottles had yet to be filled, emptied, and discarded

thoughtlessly. I wonder what a years worth of trash and

runoff look like?

How much sugar did you eat in a year? How much oil

have you used?  How many miles have you walked, 

peddled or swam?  How many waves have you caught?

Have you loved or lost someone special this year?

A year can mean a lot to each and every one of us and

to our lives.  A year can impact our planet in significant

ways.  A a gift to Simon, if I can be so presumptuous,

please take better care of yourselves, your loved ones,

your fellow humans, and our precious planet this year.

Do what you can each day for yourself and for Simon. Thanks!

No Blue No Green

Yesterday the water here at my local break 

was crystal clear.  We were joking in the

lineup that it was "almost tropical".  The almost

part was directly related to the temperature, about

43 degrees, not the clarity.  The beautiful blue

green water and the amazing visibility added a nice

dimension to a familiar break.  Seeing the rocks as

we surfed over them really enhanced  the experience.

The beautiful water reminded me of a recent talk

I heard by Dr. Sylvia Earle.  Please check it out it's

on a thought provoking web site TED.com.  Dr. Earle,

on of the planets pre-eminent ocean scientists, sounds

the call for all of us.  Our oceans are not healthy.  Without

healthy oceans our planet is in peril. As she puts it "no

blue, no green".

That concept, taking care of our most basic resources,

really struck me as profound on many levels.  Sure

it's true for the planet, but it is also true on a personal

level.  If we pollute our bodies with chemical junk

how can we be healthy?  If we don't exercise the way

we should we can't expect to be well.  If our thoughts

are toxic how can we expect to be happy?

All our resources are finite.  If we don't take care of them

we can't be healthy.  Seems to me a quote from my

old friend Doc Paskowitz seems to sum up our overall

state of affairs these days.  Let me paraphrase " just

because you're not sick doesn't mean you're healthy".

Let's all work on health for ourselves and our planet.

Sunrises and Sunsets

Today my dog Happy and I watched as the sun emerged

from the ocean to start a day.  It was a truly beautiful

sunrise.  The sun was a brilliant orange red color and

there was not a cloud in the sky.  First we watched as a

tiny orange sliver appeared on the horizon.  Little by

little that sliver grew in size as the sky lit up with

beautiful color.  After a few minutes the ball of the sun

was over the ocean.

Happy and I were alone even though it was 7 am.  Why

is it that crowds gather in most west facing places to

watch the sun go down but rarely are there crowds to

watch the sun come up?  Surely it is an equally beautiful

and inspiring sight.  I thought so although I can't speak for

Happy.  We'll be back tomorrow to watch it again, no crowds,

no cocktails, no music, just peace, quiet and the promise of

another day.

When stormy seas calm down

As surfers we are addicted to watching the ocean.

Some days the winds howl and seem to be

blowing in every which direction making for big

angry seas with out of control, unrideable  surf.  On

those days we watch and wait.  The winds eventually 

turn more favorable and organize the surf

into something more manageable, more lined up.

As the storm subsides and the sun comes out we know

that all will be well, that we will surf.  Not everyone

knows what we do.

Today a client of mine discussed the recent months

in his life.  He'd been experiencing stormy conditions

with out of control seas.  Illness and family stress can

do that. 

We engaged in imagery training during

our session using the ocean image, my client seemed to

respond.  He was  able  to calm his mind and body.  He was

able to  see the out of control seas of his life line up and

become rideable.  The lesson we, as surfers, all know

is a valuable one in helping us all get through tough times.

Almost perfect

This evening was almost perfect!  The sky was

clear blue and the wind calmed a bit after 4

days of 30 mph + sustained winds.  A great surf band,

the Supertones, was playing at Calypso for happy hour.

The crowd of  Rincon regulars sprinkled with tourists

and those making their annual surf pilgramage were

all in place enjoying the vibe.

Calypso is a wonderful place to watch sunset and tonight

seemed just about perfect.  Everyone looked westward

as the sun began its' decent into the ocean.  The music

played and the anticipation of one of the best sunsets

in weeks was in the air.  Than it happened.  With about

2 minutes to go a tiny cloud, the only cloud in the sky,

drifted ever so slowly towards the setting sun.  

You could feel the momentary let down as the sun moved

behind the cloud.  Ahh.

An almost perfect sunset.  Oh well there will be another

chance tomorrow.  That's what is so nice about tomorrows.

There is always another chance.  For tonight, almost perfect

was really good.  A great ending to another day.  Celebrate

all your days.

Gratitude

How lucky am I?  I've been here in Puerto Rico

watching NJ suffer through not only the most

significant snowfall they've had in years, but more

frigid temperatures and wind chills.  

It has been with mixed feelings that I've watched

the weather reports these past few days.  Obviously,

I'm grateful to be here and not digging, scraping, 

and freezing, but I also feel great empathy for the

people who are there.  A storm and cold snap in

March is hard.  Most everyone has about had it

with winter and is counting the days until spring.

As someone recently commented about winter

"I'm over it!".

Here I sit writing after a morning surf session, outside

on the deck, with the breeze gently blowing, and the sun

periodically escaping behind clouds.  Am I grateful!!!

Gratitude, research tells us, is an important ingredient

of happiness.  Being grateful for what you have rather

than looking at the things you don't makes us all

feel better.  It also helps to look at those who are less 

fortunate than we are.  Lord knows there is a world

full of people less fortunate.  Realize that you are blessed,

be grateful.  

I'm heading out for another session - don't mean to rub

it in. I am grateful and lucky.