Surf Wisdom: How to fit in a rad surf session on your family day without your wife getting pissed at you.

So much goes on during the day that I want to write about in my blog, but then I come home too tired to turn on the computer. I haven't posted much the past few days, maybe because I've been insecure and been having negative and pitiful thoughts about myself, when the truth is that I am privileged and am being a spoiled brat wussy.

Every day of life I should be stoked on.
I was lazy and tired the other day and the waves came up then all of a sudden I had all this burst of energy- a weird phenomena I have been noticing lately.

So much goes on in my head and I'm trying to turn it into something worth reading.

Maybe write something about how hard it is to live a creative life... so you can feel not alone, or can feel like, "damn this guy is a pretty cool, but I like my life better."
Or maybe I should write about what a rad day I had so you can either be inspired or wish you were living a life like mine playing into the "the Jones" game... but that's lame.
Maybe you never worry about what the Jones are doing or what they have, if so great for you.

However it is nice to know what the rest of the world is doing sometimes... to inspire yourself or so you don't go parading what a great thing you've done, when someone else in the world has done it ten times better.

My wife wants a big house with a yard. Me too. But I'm not gonna get depressed everyday that I don't have that, or anything for that matter.

Being alive is great foundation for me.
But I suppose having a good and worthy source of income to take care of my child for the next 20 years is in order. This might very well be my midlife crisis. I read somewhere, I think maybe in a book about Mr. Rogers. It said something like, getting to know oneself is a life long journey. What I don't want is having my source of income be a life long journey.

Balancing making art and making money at the same time is the puzzle that I will work on. But what if I don't work it out by the time rent has to be paid, which is in a few days. Let me worry about that.  In the mean time....

What do I really want to get off my chest.  Oh yeah,

How to fit in a rad surf session on your family day without your wife getting pissed at you.
Do something she likes to do with your child. Something preferably extremely strenuous so it makes both wife and child pass out while you drive to your favorite surf break, which you're friend lives right in front of, and who just happens to be having a rad BBQ with awesome family and friends
The only problem is you have to get that second wind (that magic burst of energy I mentioned earlier) which should be no prob because the waves are overhead and perfect. If the waves aren't any good, better off gaining more family time points for the epic waves soon to come.

I'm sure you get the point by now. But you might be thinking yeah but how can this all happen all together. The gist of the How to is in the beginning.

To repeat in other words, Do some family time first then go surf. The more epic family time, the higher the chances of getting to surf. But don't do this every family day or you'll abuse it.
One father I met today doesn't surf on Family Sundays.This is very impressive and disciplined. Maybe I'll get there someday...  (and not that every family does Family Sundays, I however find it works well to keep the family healthy)

I have to record what I actually did today.

I'm stoked I picked an awesome hike to go on first thing in the morning which ended with an amazing view of both the south and east sides of the island, the Kuliouou Ridge Trail, which was up the street from the house we are watching for our friends. It is supposed to be beginner intermediate, but put a twenty something pound baby on your back and it turns strenuous. What is supposed to take 2.5 to 3 hours took us 4.
-Home to shower
-Pick up our friends baby so they could go on a date.
-drive to West Side to Mathias' house for a BBQ. He lives directly in front of one of the best waves on the island. I've caught the biggest and longest waves there. It holds big waves and peels perfect often and long.

-Mathias is rad. Super Kind. His nickname is Scratch. He just had a baby named Kirin. His wife, family and friends are the same- super kind.
-There is a pathway from his house that leads directly to the spot where you paddle out. It happened to be overhead and pretty close to perfect. Other dads either had too much to drink, or weren't gonna be selfish and ruin family day with Dad gone out in the ocean. But thank God I had the ol' Family hike already done in the form of a "Surf Ticket" in my back pocket. I of course spent some time at the party briefly then told Marisa I wanted to paddle out. I didn't have to ask,  just run to the car to get the sunscreen for the kids.
Mathias couldn't surf because he was playing host.
He let me use one of his favorite boards which was perfect for the spot.

The surf realization I learned out there today was:
When the waves start getting over head, they can shift around a lot-break over here, then over there.
Sometimes when you're paddling for a wave, there is no time to look back. You are either in the right spot or not. The only way you are going to catch that wave is to paddle hard for it. You're either going to be to far inside and have the wave crash on you. Or  you're gonna be in the right spot and catch the wave, or be in the wrong spot and totally miss the wave. 2 out of the 3 you're going to be just fine if not totally stoked.  3 out of 3 you're probably going to be fine as well....

Moral of the story, Paddle hard and go for it because you have nothing to lose.


-Then I paddled in for sunset, a beer and dinner back at Mathias's with his family.
Then drove back home to the south side and waited for our friends to pick up there son Koa  at midnight.
Epic Lucky day

-Time for bed.
P.S. Thank You Lesley-Anne Loon the hiker for taking photos of us and emailing them.