Passing it on

Do you have something you love and want to

share with the ones you care about? What do you

hope they'll get from your sharing? What lessons

and experiences are you hoping they'll learn? We

Surfers love to share the stoke. Why?

Two recent experiences put me in touch with our

desire to "pass it on" to others. I took both my grandkids

to the beach the other morning. We strolled along the sand,

looked at shells and sand crabs, and Simon (my grandson)

walked on the deck of a surfboard. He smiled as he walked.

Thanks to the boards rocker, as he approached its' nose,

the board bounced a bit. Rather than getting scared he laughed

and moved closer to the nose bouncing as he went. As soon as

he reached the end he put his little toes

over the edge, spun around, and walked back to the tail laughing

all the way. Simon walked and bounced about 10 times before

it was time to go home. He didn't want to leave. It was too much

fun, this walking on a board. I thought a lot, as we headed home,

about just how much I want to "pass on" surfing and all its' lessons

to my grandkids.

There is a photo and podcast posted on Jim Moriarty's blog

Ocean Beaches and Waves (www.oceansbeachesandwaves.blogspot.com)

of Norman Ollestad. Ollestad is the author of the best selling book

"Crazy for the Storm". The photo, podcast, and the book all

touch upon the same theme "passing it on". Ollestad speaks of the

lessons his father taught him in the surf and how those lessons saved

his life. He also spoke about his wish to "pass it on" to his own children.

Surfing and our love for all it has to offer touches us in ways we feel

compelled to share. Despite the crowds, despite it's popularity we

still want to share not only the stoke but the real lessons to be learned

from the surfing life.