This is a site of uplifting and thought provoking posts

While the pope was in the United States he addressed many issues of great importance and touched a lot of people including myself. There were two topics however that touched a deep nerve within me. One was his position on the environment and the other was on making a difference.

The pope said he firmly believes the scientists are right about Global Warming and said it is our duty to protect the beautiful world God gave us and that we needed to do all we can within our power to protect mother nature and preserve it for future generations.

I agree firmly with his position and have tried and will continue to strive in my own small way to help protect our planet and our oceans, waves and beaches. Ever since I was young I have always been drawn to nature and the great outdoors. If I’m not outside for any length of time, especially in either the mountains or the ocean, I am pretty miserable.

Over the years I have noticed both negative and positive changes in the health of our environment. Unfortunately I’ve seen more harm done to it than good. I do believe we can make a positive impact and reverse some of the negative trends we are seeing especially when it comes to Global Warming and sea level rise. But we can only do so if we all help in our own little ways like reducing our use of chemicals, plastics, petroleum products, practicing ocean/river friendly gardening in our homes and places of business and through conservation in general.

I know there are many who honestly don’t believe in Global Warming and that’s their right but at the same time, even if one doesn’t believe there is a problem then it still doesn’t mean we have the right to continue to do things that are potentially harmful to the environment or take the approach that it’s ok as long as it’s not in my back yard.

With regards to making a difference, I know that sometimes when we consider the seemingly monumental task of correcting the situation it might be difficult to feel like we really can make a difference. I, for one, believe we not only can but have the responsibility to do so in any small way that we are able to.

It is one thing to profess our concerns or support of a situation yet another to actually do something about it.

Whenever I get the opportunity to speak in front of school groups about the environment I always ask the students if the feel they can make a difference. Generally most reply that they feel they can. This is refreshing and gives me hope that our future is in good hands and that they get it when it comes to their ability to make a positive change in the world.

So if they can and are willing to do so then isn’t it only fair that we do as much as we can as adults to insure we’ve not left them with an almost insurmountable task.

Thanks for checking in and I for doing what you do to make a positive change. I look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

It is said the a picture is worth a thousand words. I buy that sentiment to a point. If I look “closely” at a painting or a photograph a lot of ideas and images come to mind. Either could conjure up thoughts of what the artist was trying to convey or how they felt about the image they were taking or painting. The image might have a lot to take in like colors, mood, lighting, time and space, expression and many other things to ponder upon.

But I wonder, with so many images popping up in the media, facebook and other venues, are we really looking at those images long and hard enough to conjure up such words and thoughts.

Way back in time before the camera, other than paintings and carvings in caves or on canvas there was pretty much only the spoken and written word. People saw things in nature or experiences they had and told stories or wrote about them. Words meant a great deal and how they used them added to the depth of the story.

As both an artist and a writer I truly see the value of both. When I paint I try to convey a mood and a story within my work based on how I see the world and the subject matter. When I write it comes from a very deep place and my desire is for the reader to feel as deeply about my characters and my message as I do and to walk away with thoughts and ideas that touch them deeply.

At any one time on Amazon there are some nearly 5,000,000 books listed. (I know because on days my books don’t sell that’s about where they rank) This means there are a lot of people with a lot of great, and sometimes not so great, ideas and stories to tell. Obviously they all feel their story had merit or they wouldn’t have put forth all of their energies, time and money into getting them published. (truth be told, few authors get paid for book contract or make money as an author)

In my mind both pictures, paintings and the written word carry great value. The problem I see is that way too often things are posted and disseminated so quickly and with such little fore thought that the true message is lost or at times not even considered.

This isn’t just limited to facebook or twitter but also with the media in general. It seems to be more about getting a story, thought or image out there as soon as possible and not enough about making it truly meaningful.

I know I’m probably doing myself an injustice and keeping down my income from doing so by not having prints made of my art work, but from the start I wanted the person who purchased one of my pieces of art to have the only one in existence. I also want my writing to be original, from the heart and to be well thought out. But that’s me and I don’t expect everyone to follow my thought process.

My hope is that we don’t get so caught up with the idea of popping out quick images and thoughts that we lose the substance of the matter. Yes a picture is worth a thousand words but the written word, well written, can also be worth a thousand pictures.

What do you think?

Thanks for checking in, thanks for your support and I hope to see you next week.

Aloha, Paul

P.S. Thanks to everyone who checked in on my post this past week about the Sisters of The Sea contest. Nearly 200 people read it which is a really big deal for  me (and very uplifting also) as a good week for me is generally around twenty.

This past weekend I once again had the pleasure of acting as a judge in the 17th Annual Sisters of the Sea surf classic at Jacksonville Beach, FL.

Although the waves weren’t what one would call epic, they were none-the-less contested as if they were by talented and dedicated girls and women alike who were there simply to enjoy the camaraderie of the day and to support an organization that at it’s heart is for and about supporting women.

The contest wasn’t like many with big prize monies to be won, huge scaffolding, media blitz or points to be earned. It was instead held solely as a tribute to the women of the area and for the sport itself.

There were young girls competing that like many hold the dream of one day turning pro or surfing at the highest levels of the sport. There are also long time competitors who still hold onto the thrill of pulling on a jersey and competing with old friends and new friends alike in a sport that has meant so much to them throughout their lives.

There is certainly a competitive nature to the competition and in the end some contestants walk away feeling the thrill of victory and others who walk away with slightly crushed egos but in the end like I have noticed in many woman’s competitions it’s always more about being with your friends and family, cheering each other on and feeling the stoke that seems to always run heavy in the contest.

It’s also about the volunteers who devote their time and talents for only the reward of helping others and being part of something special and bigger than them.

At the end of one of the heats a young girl came up to me with a huge smile on her face and said, “Thanks for judging my heat”. I have never heard such a remark in all of my years of judging and I’m sure it has never happened after any pro heat. Taken back by it all I could do was smile and say, “And thank you for competing in it”. The young girl smiled then ran off with some of her friends who she competed with and who for all I know may have bested her in their heat.

Now that’s what I call sportsmanship, something I’m sure we would all like to see more of out of other athletes.

Thanks again to Sister’s of The Sea for allowing me to be a part of the event and for all they do in support of the sport and the girls and women of the area.

GO GIRL POWER!

Aloha and thanks for checking in. I’ll see you next week.

Paul

I usually write my posts on Mondays but decided to post this one today in remembrance of the events of 9/11. Following is a poem I wrote shortly after that day (I was actually travelling into the city that morning) that I believe sums up my feelings at the time and still does today.

So what were they thinking when they woke up that morning, the morning of 9/11? Did they know what the day would bring? Or did they just go about their day as usual, get dressed, get the kids off to school and catch the train? Did they kiss their loved ones good-bye not knowing it would be for the last time? Did they know? Could they have known?

And the mothers cried, and the fathers cried, they cried on 9/11.

Did that bright shining day offer any clue of the horror that would be? When they boarded those planes could they have known they would be tested beyond belief? Or what of the firemen who answered the call, could they have envisioned their fate? It all could have changed, if they had not gone in early and instead been a little bit late.

And the world cried, yes the world cried, we cried on 9/11.

And what did they think when their fathers and mothers didn’t come home that day? Did they envision the worst? Or did they just keep, hope-against-hope, praying they soon would arrive? Now how would they manage or even survive?

And the children cried, yes the children cried, they cried on 9/11.

And what were they thinking when they laid out their plans, those deliverers of evils unknown? Did they search their souls or have any regrets or were they simply too lost or too stoned? All of these things may remain unknown, at least for now, and that is probably good.

And the maker cried, you know the maker cried, he cried on 9/11.

Thanks for checking in and let’s never forget.

Aloha, Paul

 There’s an old Jimmy Buffet song (yes I’m dating myself again) entitled “It’s My Job”, that I really like and one which helps me to keep things in balance.

One of the lines goes something like, “It’s my job to cleaning up this mess and that’s enough reason to go for me. It’s my job to be better than the rest and that makes the day for me”. Jimmy was quoting a janitor in those lyrics.

Too much in life people focus too much on what people do and how much they make versus what the person adds to society and how dedicated they are and how well they do what they do.

We fawn all over celebrities, doctors, lawyers (well maybe not lawyers, just kidding there are good ones) and people who have high paying jobs or are the leaders of industry. Often the janitors, teachers, fry cooks and people who don’t have traditional jobs like artist and authors are often considered in a much less desirable light.

Last evening I tried to think of all of the various jobs I’ve had over the years and realized it is a quite extensive one. At the risk of boring you I will try and list them all (If you get bored just skip over them to where I get to the point).

The jobs I’ve had are paper boy, caddy, tree surgeon, dock builder, fry cook, waiter, professional pall bearer, air force crew chief on a spy plane, shoe salesman, bartender, retail manager, insurance and bonding agent, retail installer, consultant, public speaker (paid and unpaid), surf shop employee, surf instructor, ski and snowboard instructor, artist, writer, lawn servicer, volunteer and leader of a local environmental group and home improvement contractor.

I’m sure I missed a few but I’m sure you get the point that I’ve done a lot of stuff. I have made some really good money doing some of those jobs and very little performing others. The truth is though I’ve gotten a lot more enjoyment and reward from some of the jobs that paid the least and were considered by many to be less worthwhile.

While I enjoyed my time in the Insurance industry and made good money in it, I have gotten a deeper sense of satisfaction from instructing, writing, artistry and volunteering which paid little to squat.

I have even received derision from some at times for not having a “real job” or making the most out of my potential while doing some of the things that I felt were most beneficial for me and society. I’m sure there are many others who have heard the same things.

I have known janitors who are extremely satisfied and happy with what they do and highly successful people who are miserable despite their “success”.

As the son lyric tries to point out, if someone tries to be the best at whatever they do and attempts to make a positive difference in the world then it should be enough for them and society.

I, like many others, sometimes struggle with my place in the world and whether or not I fulfilled my potential (This is one of the key themes in my novel “The Nonconformist”). The thing that usually gets me back on track is the realization that, despite my shortcomings, I’ve always tried to do my best and make a difference. Bottom line, I believe that’s all we can do.

I hope you enjoy your Labor Day and keep doing the best you can do and don’t ever let someone else judge you for what you do or don’t do or what they expect you to do.

Thanks for checking in and see you next week.

Aloha, Paul

 This past weekend tropical storm/hurricane Erika greeted the area. Although it never gave us a direct hit or the massive swell that we had hoped for at least we got some solid surf for the first time this summer.

Thinking about how much most surfers prayed for the hurricane and hurricanes in general, it made me wonder is we aren’t all just a little bit crazy.

After all, who else other than meteorologists and post disaster contractors pray for something as potentially destructive just so they can enjoy some tasty waves or to make a buck. Obviously not the general public or people who are in their right minds.

But praying for hurricanes isn’t the only indicator that we surfers are a few fries short of a happy meal. We also regularly share our space with sharks, jelly fish and other assorted critters who at a moments notice could send us to the morgue.

We also don’t seem to have a problem dropping into seemingly un-makeable close out sections, paddle out into toxic waters if the surf is good (sometimes not even if its that good) and jeopardize our careers by skipping work or school (yah I’ve done that more times than I’d like to admit).

But I guess that’s what makes us the special breed that we are, the nonconformists of the world. And as the popular old song lyrics go, “If we weren’t just a little bit crazy we’d all go insane”.

Thanks for checking in, see you next week and please join me in a prayer for the next tropical storm (LOL).

Aloha, Paul

 For the most part I consider myself to be a pretty laid back person who tries (not always so successfully) to look at things in a positive light and who is forever looking for that elusive silver lining.

The fact is though, like many folks, there are times I let the rigors of life get the best of me and when they do it sometimes takes a while or an event to shake me out of my funk. It is at those times that tensions build within me and life just doesn’t seem so fun.

The truth is times are hard for many of us these days, good jobs and especially good paying jobs are scarce, either we or loved ones and friends get sick or die, it’s difficult sometimes to make our financial ends meet and there is a lot of bad shit going down around the world.

Sometimes it’s when I’m doing something that should be really fun, but I’m not having fun doing it, that I finally come to realize I’m overwhelmed and need to chill out.

Recently while surfing, which is something I enjoy immensely, I found myself grousing over missing a couple of waves. The truth is, despite my many years of trying to perfect my craft, I’m going to have bad sessions. Hell, I’m old and there are times my body just won’t do what I want or expect it to do. Sometimes the waves are simply crappy and won’t allow me to do what I want to do.

Fortunately, after taking a deep breath, apologizing to God for complaining about such a trivial thing and reflecting on my situation, I was able to put things into perspective and after doing so was able to have fun. Also, by letting go I started to perform better.

What I realized was how lucky I was to be out in the ocean communing with nature and getting to enjoy the sport I so love especially at my advanced age (when I started out I never would have imagined I’d still be surfing, especially at a high level in my forties let alone in my sixties). Heck, there were years, while I was working full time, that I was lucky if I got to surf a couple of times a month at best and now I get to surf at least that much every week.

Anyone driving any amount of time these days or who visits facebook or watches the news knows there are a lot of stressed out people in the world. People are speeding even while texting, running red lights, playing bumper car with their cars or complaining about their situation in any format they can.

Certainly there are reasons to be stressed out but we simply can’t let them get the best of us. I know it’s an overused statement but the truth is, despite how dire our situation seems, there are a lot of people who are a lot worse off than we are.

So my advice to others is the same as it is for me. Take a deep breath, try and put things into perspective, try to find that silver lining of hope and CHILL. If more of us were able to do that there would certainly be a lot less accidents, fights or wars and we would all be a lot happier.

Thanks for checking in and I will look forward to seeing you again next week.

Aloha, Paul

P.S. If for some reason you run into me out in the water and I’m not having fun please smack me in the back of the head.

 During a lull in a recent book signing (yes I have a lot of those unfortunately) I checked out some of the books in the Children’s book area. I ended up thumbing through one entitled “The Dream Stealers”

The book was very well written and hit a deep nerve in me. For years I have written “Believe in your self and miracles and always follow your dreams” when signing my children’s book “Byron The Lonely Christmas Tree”.

Such a statement is important to me as during most of my childhood I was told by not only my parents but even some teachers that I would not ever amount to much nor should I expect much of myself. As a result, for the longest time I believed it.

Over the years I’ve visited a lot of classrooms to give environmental lectures or to talk about my writing. Time and again students admit to me that they have either been told they weren’t good enough at something and to give up on their dream or that they shouldn’t expect to be successful. I can always read in their faces the hurt and disappointment they feel because of it and can tell they had given up on themselves. As a result, whenever I get the chance I try to reinforce in them that they are special and to believe they can accomplish great things.

In my case, it took years of soul searching and therapy to find my inner strength and regain my belief that I could achieve my dreams and that I was worthy of success and happiness.

Unfortunately there are a lot of dream stealers in the world who most likely were disappointed by life or bought into the idea that they would never realize their dreams. As such they either convince someone (child or adult) that they won’t succeed at something to “protect them” from hurt or because they are jealous of their talents of accomplishments and the only way they can feel good about themselves is by putting someone else down.

Bottom line, whether your a child or an adult and feel a passion over something believe in yourself enough to cast off the dispersions of others and pursue your dreams and certainly don’t let anyone, including yourself, chastise you if for some reason you fail to attain your dream(s). After all, the pursuit of a dream in and of itself is a success and we are always better off just by simply trying.

From my standpoint, I had the dream of writing a novel for quite some time. When I lost my job in industry a lot of people told me to “get a real job” and give up on writing the novel as even if I did I most likely would never sell enough books to survive.

Who knows, maybe I won’t but even if I don’t I’m a lot happier and feel more fulfilled than if continued to take on any job I could find just to prove I’m doing what is expected that one should do under the circumstances.

I’ve also written a screenplay version of my novel “The Nonconformist” that I’ve been trying for several years to have accepted by a producer. While I’m working hard to find someone to take it on and don’t plan on ever giving up on the project, despite my best efforts it just might not ever happen. While I certainly hope and believe it will I know I won’t feel like a failure if I’m unsuccessful because I tried my best and had accomplished something many people never thought I would accomplish or have even tried to accomplish themselves.

There is one thing I do know for certain and it’s that we all have special gifts and talents. I also firmly believe that if there were more dream supporters in the world than there are dream stealers that we would all be a lot happier and the world would be a better place.

Thanks again for checking in and remember to always believe in yourself and miracles and continue to follow your dreams.

Aloha, Paul

 As a bit of a follow up to my post last week “Everyone has a story’, I realized part of our story has a lot to do with our life experiences. As such I started thinking about the coolest things I’ve done in my life.

Now in this regard I’m not talking about the obvious ones like falling in love, getting married, having children or graduating from college (which by the way was a big deal for me as it took me seven years and seven colleges to do so). While they are all really great, at the same time they are pretty easy to list.

What I am refereeing to are the experiences we’ve had that are super challenging, possibly life changing, enriching and out of the ordinary.

While I am no world traveler or adrenaline junky that takes on extreme challenges, as I thought about the topic I realized I’ve done some pretty cool stuff that I’ve come to realize that not everyone has done or would do.

Between work and personal travel I have been lucky enough to have visited nearly every state except Alaska, Utah and Idaho and have even done limited traveling in Canada and England. I have also surfed on all of our coasts including Hawaii and participated in almost every sport imaginable except Rugby and Cricket.

As such, it was hard for me to pick out the five coolest things I’ve done. So below are the top five in no particular order of importance.

1. Whenever I watch surfers tackling really large surf I wonder how on earth they can take on such dangerous waves. But when I think about my own experiences, while the waves I’ve ridden don’t compare to the massive walls that are currently being attacked, at the same time, some were  pretty darn intimidating. The first time I rode really big waves was at Ocean Beach on Fire Island back in 1966. The swell in the water that day was well over 10′ and nasty. On that day there was only one other surfer who paddled out with me and he didn’t even dare to paddle into a wave. I made my first wave but got drilled on my second and nearly drowned. In 1994 I paddled out into a massive hurricane swell in the 10-15′ range at Avon Beach, NC where I scored some epic rides and nearly ate it after going over the falls on a extremely steep bomb. For a guy who at a young age could barely dip his toe in the ocean and who was often called Chicken of the Sea I feel those were defining events in my life.
2. One time while playing basketball my nose got crushed so badly that it had collapsed against the side of my face. After looking at myself in the reflection of a piece of glass I was so grossed out that I decided to try and reset it myself. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to reset it about as well as any doctor could have (they actually told me that when my wife finally got me to have a doctor check it out). Sure I was lucky as I could have disfigured myself but still I think it was pretty cool. One other time I broke my wrist so badly that only the flesh was still connected. I tried to put it back but it didn’t work.
3. While not terribly un-ordinary but at the same time super rewarding, I’d have to say that being a snowboard and surfing instructor has to be two of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Taking beginners, especially those who are scared or intimidated, out onto the slopes or surf and watching the smiles on their faces and helping them experience a feeling of accomplishment as they catch their first wave or make it down the slope, always makes me feel a lot better than any fat paycheck I’ve ever received while in industry. I guess that’s why so many instructors work at those endeavors for either little or no pay.
4. One year when I had to get my snowboard certification renewed the only clinic available in my area was a “Big air and rail clinic”. I have to admit, at the age of fifty-three I was pretty intimidated by it. When I got to the ski resort and signed in I found that the average age of the participants was around twenty-three and the closest other participant in age to me was around thirty-eight. While I was terrorized throughout most of the event and could barely walk afterwards, I took on every challenge including the pro jump, the rails and even riding switch (opposite foot forward) through the trees on our last run of the day. Completing the event was a real confidence builder but earning the respect of the other younger boarders was an even bigger thrill.
5. Writing my novel and the screenplay version of it was, to me a great accomplishment. Based on my high school and college accomplishments or, more accurately, the lack their of, neither I or my teachers would have ever believed I could accomplish such a feat. To be honest, even after writing my life’s story “Chicken of the Sea” (much more on these events are in my personal story) I still didn’t consider myself to be a serious writer. After completing my novel “The Nonconformist” and the screenplay version of it and now nearing completion of my second novel, I finally consider myself a serious writer and am always looking to improve on my skills.

So now that I’ve shared with you my five coolest accomplishments please let me know what yours are/were. And if you don’t think you can name five if you think harder you’ll probably come up with them. If not then get out there and create your own coolest things. Thanks again for checking in, have a great week and I’ll see you next week.

Aloha, Paul

 It is said that everyone has a story and I believe it to be true. Certainly some of us have a more interesting life story than others and some are better at telling it but just the same if you really think about it your story, and despite your initial inclination to think your life is pretty ho hum, it’s probably a lot more interesting than you might think.

For the longest time I felt as though my life story was pretty un-interesting until two things helped me to feel differently.

The first was when I wrote my personal story “Chicken of the Sea”. When I first started writing it I did so for my own benefit. I wanted to figure out why surfing played such a huge roll in my life and how I managed to survive growing up in a disastrous home environment and my struggles as an adult to make sense of my life and overcome my fears and insecurities.

Writing my story, though very painful at times, was both an eye opener and a form of cleansing for me. It also helped to propel me as a serious writer. The toughest part was when I finally decided to have it published. It’s very scary to have all of your personal and difficult stuff out in print. I wondered if anyone would want to read it but more importantly I worried about them judging me.

To my amazement, people read it and for the most part liked it and found inspiration from it. Also, shockingly, they didn’t judge me (at least not to my face).

The second thing that helped me to understand my story came from a work seminar. The guy who lead it was a social psychologist who wanted to help our sales team develop “Our Story” so we could understand how we could differentiate ourselves from our competitors and show potential customers how we could better help them to reach their personal and business goals.

At the time I had been in the business for over twenty-five years and had never considered how my “gifts”, as he called them, could help others.

In our individual sessions with the consultant he asked us questions concerning the things we liked to do, what we had accomplished and how we even approached things like sports. The three things he got from our discussion, that he believed made me valuable to my customers, was my ability to listen (my wife might tend to disagree) and find out what their true goals were, help them visualize what it would look like in the end and how to get there (he got this based on my ability as a snowboard instructor to help people beginners get down the hill), and to help them understand that I wouldn’t give up in my efforts despite all the obstacles. He also found I was inclined to keep butting my head into the wall until I busted through (I guess this explains the six concussions I’ve had during my life).

What I learned from that experience has helped me in numerous ways since that time not only in business but in my personal life also. Knowing ones story can really empower us and help us to understand and accept who we are, what makes us tick, how we are unique and special and in the end leave us happier and more secure.

So when you get the chance, sit down in a quiet place and think about your story and if the inspiration hits you go ahead and set it to print. Maybe it has the potential to be a best seller (mine wasn’t but it at least has sold pretty well) and an inspiration to others. But even if it never gets published at least it will be out there to preserve your story for your family and friends and help you to understand just how special and gifted you are.

Thanks for checking in and I hope you will tell me your story. I also hope you will check out my books to find out more about me. lastly, would someone please be the first to “like” my web-site/blog (even if you don’t, LOL).

Take care and see you next week.

Aloha, Paul