Gratitude

What a wonderful morning, in fact it was a pretty

wonderful weekend. I got to surf a fish, longboard and

SUP, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy a

nice surf related event. I am very grateful to be able

to enjoy life.

Being grateful has the power to make a difference. A week

or so ago I had a big gap in my work schedule and headed out

for a surf. After being in what was pretty ordinary surf for

a while the wind went offshore and the swell, courtesy of

a hurricane, began to grow. Each set was bigger than the one

before. I was riding my shortboard and having a blast, then

I looked at my watch. Bummer, I thought, just as the waves

are getting really good I have to go back to work. I'm sure you've

been there, ready to be frustrated and a little mad about

leaving pumping surf. That's when it hit me. Be grateful that

you were able to surf at all I thought. Be grateful not angry.

My mood and outlook changed instantly.

Being grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what

you don't have or missed out on is a strategy that instantly

creates peace. Try it. Enjoy the wave you ride rather then the

set wave you missed. Enjoy the time you spent in the water

rather than be frustrated at having to leave. Give it a shot!

Entitlement and greed

Yesterday I witnessed yet another step in what has become

a steady march to ruin good things here at the Jersey Shore.

Telephone poles were strategically placed in the sand and dirt

parking lot at the beach. Looks like the city is about to make

people pay for parking in the lot. Only a month ago the city installed

parking meters on the street where, for decades, surfers and fishermen

have parked for free. The lot and the spots aren't really near

anything but the ocean and jetty. No bathrooms, no porto johns, or

places to eat. Just a beach and a jetty.

Perhaps the lot and beach had become too popular, used by too many

people for the city to ignore. One of the few places on the Jersey Shore

where you could pull your car up, San Onofre style, check the surf,

hang out and enjoy. True it made the surf a bit more crowded, but

it provided a nice vibe. Guess the city didn't see it that way, they

probably see dollar signs. $10 bucks a car maybe 100 cars with

some turnover, a real cash cow. After all the city needs money.

The guy who has, for years, run his surf school from the lot

told me that the city now demands he pay them $500 for a permit.

Nice... pay to park, pay a mercantile permit, pay a beach badge fee

for eachstudent, where will it end.

Add to the mix the current controversy about beach access here in NJ.

The wealthy towns and beach front homeowners don't want us rif raf

coming to and using "their" beaches. They've established restrictive

parking regulations, hidden and well disguised access points, put up

illegal signs, and clearly don't want us there. Oh but wait...they do

want us to pay to protect their property by renourishing the beach in

front of their homes.

The state wants to abrogate it's responsibility to establish regulations

thatwould force towns to provide well defined, reasonable access.

Our governor, Chris Christie, wants to let local towns establish access

rules. Let the fox guard the hen house. Hey, he's got a state owned,

secure beach house on Long Beach Island ( that we pay for)and his

brother owns ocean front property in a town that hired private security

to keep people away. He can get to the beach, he and his family can

get to the ocean to fish or surf.

Greed and entitlement seem the enemies of us all. Be it on Wall Street,

in the corporate world, amongst insurance companies, or on the

shoreline. Seems to put a different spin on the "golden rule", something

like "do unto others in a manner as to get yours and to hell with

the rest of them".

Get to know the people in your life

Who surfs at your "local" line-up? Do you know

many of them? I mean do you actually know them,

more than knowing how they surf, what board they

ride or what car drive?

Yesterday, being Father's Day, some people seemed

compelled to talk, write, and think about what they know or

knew about their fathers. I found it interesting to read what

people had to say on facebook about their dad's and the

influence their father's had on their lives. Being a father

and a grandfather that's something I think about often.

Being a son whose dad died when I was 18 added a particular

slant on the whole thing for me. I don't feel that I really got

to know my dad very well and I don't think he really got to

know me either. A shame and loss for us both. Oft times I

wonder what would he think about how I turned out. I would

like to have had a chance to have gotten to know him better too.

Sure I've got memories, an image here, a flash there, a photo,

a reflection on an event or conversation. We both missed out.

Missing out on getting to know people in our lives is a shame.

We've had a few waves lately and, as is becoming more usual,

my local spot was packed. Since the weather

was warm and the waves mellow it seemed that folks

were more into talking and hanging out. More into

getting to know each other. I got a chance to

attach more than names to many of the faces that have

been showing up lately. I met peoples wives

and kids. We talked and got to know each other a bit more.

Odd how when we returned to the line-up the vibe seemed

slightly different, a bit more pleasant. Fewer people surfed

in silence, fewer dropped in on each other.

Get to know the people in your life, the people at your line-up.

Who knows what impact it could have. Might get you a few

more waves, might give you the pleasure of watching someone

else get a wave or have some fun on a wave you've let them have.

Not much downside to getting to know the people you surf the

waves of your life with.

Playing golf with Tiger, shooting hoops with Michael Jordan

The world of sports is filled with superstars. Every sport

has those special gifted and super talented athletes whose skills

and abilities are unrivaled. We watch them on t.v., admire them

from afar, and maybe even get an opportunity to pay for tickets

to see them play in person. That's the way it is. About all we

mortals can do is fantasize about trying trying to hit a ball out

of Yankee Stadium, pairing up for a round of golf with Tiger

Woods, or shooting a few hoops with LeBron. Surfing, on the

other hand, is very very different.

Last night I got a chance to hear Shaun Tomson talk about his

new book, the updated paperback version of The Surfer's Code.

Someone asked him if anyone ever drops in on him. Shaun smiled,

laughed a bit and replied "sure, at Rincon where I live, I get dropped

in on and yelled at all the time." Shaun surfs Rincon just like

everyone else in Santa Barbara without expecting special treatment.

Someone forwarded me a video of Kelly Slater, arguably the best surfer

ever, tearing it up at Malibu, one of the most crowded waves

on the planet. Two things were obvious in the video; Kelly was

ripping and is an amazing surfer, and even the world champ

gets dropped in on and yells people off the wave.

No where else in sports do we get a chance to share the playing field

with our superstars, the heros. Makes no difference if you are a "lifer"

or a grom. We all get to surf the same breaks, the same waves and

on the same days. We share, stare, watch, hoot, and even talk to each

other in the lineup. Guess surfing gives us a real glimpse into the human

condition. We are all very much the same, all paddling for the same

waves, all trying to enjoy many of the same simple pleasures in life.

Rich or poor, black or white in the water we all want the same things,

all have a chance to surf together. Not a bad model for life.

The rules

Summer is upon us. The water is quickly warming up.

The beaches are "officially" open and, as a friend says,

the eggs have hatched and all newbies are scurrying about

everywhere. This is especially true in the lineup.

Yesterday I got to watch the same scene play out over

and over again. Inexperienced wanna be surfers haphazardly

paddling to the peak without a clue, endangering themselves

and others. When someone nicely tries to direct them

away from the main peak, down the beach, where beginners

belong, a nasty exchange takes place. Why is it that these

folks without a clue get angry when someone tries to teach

them the rules? What happened to the idea that if you don't

really know the rules perhaps you should timidly sit on the

sidelines for a bit and learn them before you head into the

game?

Knowing the rules doesn't only pertain to surfing. We'd

all be much safer and happier if we took the time to observe

how things work before haphazardly or impulsively charging

ahead without knowing the obstacles. We all can benefit from

learning a bit, taking the advice of "experts", and listening

to wisdom gained over the years. Don't be a kook in the surf

or in life. Take the time to learn the rules. You'll be happier,

safer, and healthier for sure.

Waves per Lifetime

It's rare that you get to surf fun A frames, with

oil slick glassy conditions, in the rain, alone. I had

that opportunity just the other day. On those rare

occasions when I surf alone I find it quite meditative.

As anyone who meditates on a regular basis knows

sometimes you become aware of interesting thoughts.

My thoughts on that day seemed focused on the concept

of "Waves per Lifetime" (WPL). Just how many waves

does one ride during their lifetime. Each wave is but a

brief few seconds. Each session is made up of a finite

number of waves. Each year consists of a finite number

of sessions and your surfing life probably has a finite number

of years.

I actually have no real interest trying to calculate the

number of waves I've ridden in the 48 or so years I've been

surfing. I know it's been quite a few. Some have been

really special and stand out in my mind while others seem

to be lost somewhere in my brain. Much of our lives go

by in the same way I guess, some moments very special

while others rather ordinary and seemingly easy to forget.

Our challenge both in and out of the water, is to value all

our moments, all our sessions. We can't forget just how

blessed we all are simply to have them. Enjoy...

Yea but the surf was good

Saturday we had some pretty fun leftover surf here in NJ.

Unfortunately there were many many more people surfing

than there were taking part in the semi-annual beach clean up.

Why was that?? Not quite sure I fully understand why so many

surfers don't take the time to take part in, or regularly on there

own pick up trash from the beach.

It's amazing how much surf related trash we regularly find when

we do beach clean-ups. On Saturday alone I found 1/2 a surfboard

that someone had broken the day before; a leash that had snapped;

wax; towels that someone had left covered in sand; empty plastic

bottles. Now maybe all that stuff wasn't from surfers but alot

was for sure.

Why aren't we, as surfers, leading the way in the effort to keep our

beaches clean? Why can the lineup have 25 to 30 people in it and

the beach clean up crew only have 5 or so? Kudos to the few surfers

who did help. As to the rest...apathy will destroy the ocean, beaches,

waves we all love so dearly.

Sustainability

A surfing friend of mine has been writing a blog about

her fitness adventures. She has been on a good program

of diet and training and is really happy about her results.

I made a comment to her asking if she thought her new regime

was sustainable? All too often I see people who get excited about

a diet, a workout routine, a life change they've made, only to

be unable to keep at it, unable to sustain the change.

Sustainability is a word and issue I've been thinking quite a bit

about lately. So much of what we do as individuals and as citizens

of the planet Earth is not sustainable. I'm sure you've heard the

dire forecasts regarding the fish in the ocean. If we don't change

our present practices there will be no fish to eat by 2050. Our

current fishing practices are not sustainable. Our current addiction

to oil...not sustainable. Our continued use of plastic and the adverse

impact it has on our planet...not sustainable.

Looking at sustainability from a more individual perspective might

force you to ask some interesting questions about your own lifestyle

and habits. What are you doing that's simply not sustainable, that you

just can't keep doing with having to face serious consequences some day?

Try to live as sustainable a life as possible. Guess that means eat right,

exercise, rest and learn to relax, have fun, find balance, and try to

develop good "attitudes of mind" as my friend Doc Paskowitz would

say. Make your life as sustainable as possible. You'll live longer, love

longer, and of course surf all the waves of life longer.

Leif Engstrom's 540

If you haven't seen it you should check out

the "Punt of the Month" on Surfline. It's

a video of Leif Engstrom doing an amazing

snowboardlike 540 on a wave in Puerto Rico.

It's not just an amazing feat, to me it symbolizes

a number of interesting observations and lessons for

the new year.

Leif didn't just paddle out and do his 540. I've seen

him try and try to pull it off many times. He is tenacious.

His persistence is really something to behold. A

great lesson for us all. Keep at it, keep trying to accomplish

the things that are important to you. Sure you'll fall short,

fail, or miss it many times before you make. That's all

part of life. If you don't try how can you succeed? What's

holding you back?

Another thing that wave reminded me was just how much

things change and how critical it is to try to adapt to

change. A 540 is a long way from a nose ride. It represents

a totally different way of thinking about, and riding a wave.

One is not better than the other, they're merely different.

They represent two ways of approaching something. Just

because things change doesn't mean we must all follow along

blindly or alter the way we think or view the world. Change

happens, it's inevitable. How we adapt and cope with change

is the challenge.

Watching Leif launch that air and spin around above the wave

made me think about trying to imagine yourself doing

something new, or something you've feared. I initially

commented to a friend that I couldn't even imagine myself

doing a 540. The more I thought about

it the less I like the idea that I couldn't imagine it. I probably

will never do one but I'm working on imagining it, seeing and

feeling myself do it. Who knows where that mind game will

lead. I'll bet it pushes me to try something I've not done before.

Make a New Year's resolution. Imagine yourself doing something

new, something you'd like to accomplish. Be persistent in working

to achieve that goal. You just might pull it off and at least you'll

have fun in the trying.