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This piece is the second installment of my past annual Christmas stories that will lead up to my new one on Christmas Day. I hope you enjoy it and sorry that it’s a bit lengthy.

I bet you didn’t know that Jacksonville, Florida is the last stop on Santa’s delivery route. Well, I didn’t know until this year either.

Early this Christmas morning I was awakened by a loud thump coming from our living room. Wondering who or what it was I grabbed my trusty old Louisville Slugger baseball bat and snuck out of our bedroom door to find out.

When I saw who it was I had to pinch myself and rub my eyes to be sure I was awake. To my surprise it was none other than old Saint Nick himself. He was in the process of leaving the last of our presents under our tree. I took a peek and noticed he had placed under the tree a new spring wet suit for me.

As I stumbled around he finally spotted me and we ended up staring at each other eye to eye. “It’s good to see you Paul, you’re just the man I wanted to see. This is my last stop and I wanted to talk with you”.

“Me, why me of all people”, I replied in disbelief.

“Well Paul, I know you’re a writer and I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest. Over the years there has been a great deal of misinformation spread around about me and I want you to help me set the record straight”.

“That’s great Santa but why me and not someone like Diane Sawyer? I hear she gives a great interview”.

“I don’t want to go to her. She will only make a big deal about it and try to get me on TV. I came to you because you are one of the few adults I know who still believes in me and I know you will tell my story correctly and protect my privacy”.

“Sure Santa. Thanks a bunch, but first let me go and get a pen and some paper so I can take notes. By the way, can I get you something to eat or drink”?

“Heavens no. Thanks for asking but I have been downing milk and cookies all night and if I eat one more thing I’m going to barf”.

After I returned we sat down and I asked, “So how do you want to do this”?

After rubbing his hairy white beard he replied, “How about we do it Q&A style”.

“That works for me so here we go’, I replied with a big old grin.

Me: Ok Santa, let’s get the record straight. Does your job change hands over time or is it a forever kind of thing?

Santa: Good question and one I wanted to set straight on. Despite what you might have heard it’s a forever thing. Fortunately it’s one I like very much, Ho, Ho, Ho.

Me: I kind of thought so, now tell me if you like how you came to get the job and how long you’ve had it.

Santa: Well back in 1863, when I was a mere fifty-five years old, my wife and I were living in Oslo, Norway. I was a simple sheep herder. Although we had couldn’t have children we loved them very much. Every year on Christ’s birthday we would deliver presents we made to the poor kids of the area and lay the on their doorsteps. Apparently the big guy from up above liked what we were doing and sent an angel down to make us a proposition. The angel told us God wanted to have a symbol of his love that people could relate to and came up with the name Santa Clause. He wanted that person to be a benevolent spirit to give hope and joy to the world and deliver presents to the people of earth in much the same was the three wise men had done for his son. The angel then said there were a few proviso’s I had to agree to if I took the job.

Me: Ok Santa you have me on the edge of my seat so what were those proviso’s?

Santa: First of all he said it would have to be a job until the end of time. Secondly, we’d have to move to the North Pole for secrecy and lastly we had to work with a bunch of elves who would help make all of the toys.

Me: That must have been a difficult decision. How long did it take you to make up your mind?

Santa: To tell you the truth, at first I didn’t think I was up to the task. I wondered how on earth I could deliver all of those gifts around the world overnight. But after the angel told me about their idea for a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer and that he would give me magical powers, I figured what the heck and I accepted.

Me: That’s cool, so tell me more about the elves.

Santa: Well, there are a lot of misconceptions about them. They really aren’t what you see in the movies. In reality they are really kind spirits whom God put back on earth to help me do the work. We simply call them elves because it sounds better than calling them reincarnated spirits.

Me: That makes sense. I guess they are more like the Christmas angel Gideon in the Movie “One Special Christmas”.

Santa: (laughing and shaking like a bowl full of jelly) I guess you could  say that but instead of meeting people at a mailbox, Christmas angels send their messages to a person telepathically.

Me: I’m glad you cleared that up for me. So what other myths do you want to bust?

Santa: Despite what you’ve heard, I don’t just deliver presents. I also deliver intangible things like hope, forgiveness, generosity and love. After all aren’t those the most important gifts of all?

Me: That makes sense to me but a lot of people don’t believe its something you do.

Santa: That’s because for most people it’s hard to believe I something you can’t see.

Me: You’ve got that right but there’s one thing I’ve always wondered about. What do you do with your time off after Christmas?

Santa: Somehow I knew this question was going to come up. The truth is we stay really busy most of the year but we do take a two week vacation every summer to the beach, incognito of course, and believe it or not I spend most of my time surfing. One of the perks of this job is that as I am flying all over the world I get to check out the best surf spots and we head to a different spot each year based on how their breaking so I’ll be sure to get good waves every day.

Me: I’m sure no one will believe me but that is so cool. So what kind of board do you ride?

Santa (With a twinkle in his eye) Well, you can tell by the size and shape of me, I’m shaped like a gosh darned weeble,  that it’s not some short high performance board that’s for sure. I ride an extra thick 9’8″ longboard shaped locally by someone who’s name I can’t divulge but who you know.

Me: So what about Mrs. Clause, does she surf too?

Santa: She sure does and I dare not admit it but she’s actually a lot better than me.

Me: That’s so cool. Hopefully some day we can all surf together.

Santa: I’d love to and this coming summer I’ll set it up.

Me: Awesome. By the way, do you have any regrets about your job?

Santa: No not really. To be honest it’s the best job in the world. My only regrets are the each year it seems like less and less people believe in miracles and that Christmas keeps becoming all the more commercialized.

Me: well hopefully once they’ve heard your story peoples minds and behaviors will change.

Me: Do you have any other words of advice or something you’d like people to know.

Santa: Al Gore is right about global warming. I have travelled this planet for almost one hundred and fifty years and I’ve witnessed the negative changes in our environment and they are frightening. We definitely need to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, look for alternative energy sources, cut down on our use of pesticides and chemicals and recycle before we destroy this wonderful planet.

Me: Those are great words of advice Santa. Hopefully one day we will all be riding sleighs pulled by reindeer like you.

Santa: Well I guess that’s one alternative. (he replied with a laugh so hearty the room shook before adding). So good luck getting the word out and I’ll see you in the surf this coming summer.

Me: Thanks for the interview Santa and I promise I’ll do my best with getting out the word and I’ll hold you to your promise to surf with me.

Santa then waved good-bye then with the twitch of his nose flew up the chimney and in a flash of light flew out of sight.

So whether the world believes me or not this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

The end

Thanks for checking in and I’ll be posting my next story later in the week. In the interim, have a great week and keep up the faith.

Aloha, Paul

The following is a fictional tale I wrote bout seven years ago as an entry to a local newspaper contest. I didn’t win but I enjoyed writing it. if some of the words seem weird it’s because we had to find a way to work them into the story. This is my first of seven other stories I wrote annually and they will be followed up with a new installment on Christmas day. I hope you enjoy them.

Christmas In Alabama

Hi My name is Pete. There I was, in Birmingham, getting ready to spend my Christmas break from VA Tech. While I love Christmas and spending it with my family, I hoped to have been spending it in Richmond, VA where we lived until recently.

Six months ago my father lost his job. Fortunately he finally found a new one but it meant having to move here. While I was happy he found a new job, having to move to Alabama was a real bummer for my sister and me.

When I arrived home from College the house was already decorated. There was a wreath on the front door and the tree was decorated. The problem was they were both imitations. Prior to this year we always had real ones.

I had been looking forward to spending my vacation with my buddies snowboarding at Bryce Resort. Now I was going to have to miss out on all of the fun and the prospect of having to spend three weeks in Alabama was unfathomable. If we had to relocate then why not at someplace fun like Jacksonville, FL? If we had moved there at least I could have gone surfing or visited some of the theme parks in Orlando where we could ride the roller coasters.

Four days before Christmas I was sitting around watching TV with my sister’s new puppy named Frosty, a bribe from my parents to help ease the pain of the move. Bored to tears, I watched an old Sesame Street movie. In it Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy were skiing. Seeing this I screamed “Why skiing of all things? This makes me even more depressed”.

That was the last straw. I packed my gear, grabbed some ginger bread cookies for the road and threw them into the back of my old Pontaic Sunbird. Before leaving I left my parents a note saying, “I’m sorry to leave but I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to drive up to Bryce for a few days but promise to be back home by Christmas. Love Pete”.

When I got back out to the car I remembered I had forgotten to replace the badly worn tires. It was a blessing they had made it home in the first place. While I knew this trip would be pushing it I figured that as long as it didn’t snow I should be OK.

The trip up was uneventful and I arrived at Bryce early the next morning. After my arrival I called home. My folks were more than a bit miffed but gave me some slack as they understood what I was going through. They did however make me promise once again to be home by Christmas.

Though tired, I enjoyed my day of snowboarding with my friends. That night a Ska band was scheduled to play at the lodge but they couldn’t make it. Instead a local Kazoo band replaced them. We were bummed at first but after a few spiked nog’s we all had a great time.

About noon the next day it started to snow. At first I was unconcerned as the conditions were awesome but later in the day when I heard they were expecting about twelve inches of the stuff I started to worry. Remembering my promise to my parents I decided to leave. I loaded up the car , said my farewells and headed out never giving a second thought to my tires.

Things went along pretty well until I was approaching Roanoke. By that time the snow was getting heavy and I started to lose traction. When I finally made it to the next rest stop I pulled in with a dead cell phone and figured this was where I was going to be spending my Christmas.

I was about to give up when a semi with Alabama plates pulled in next to me. To my surprise the driver was an attractive young woman about my age. I was so flabbergasted I barely got out the words, “Where are you headed?” “Birmingham” she replied with a smile.

After relaying my dilemma she agreed to give me a lift. After thanking her I ran to my car, grabbed all of my gear, left the keys on the seat for anyone who wanted the old wreck and hopped into her cab. When I turned to stow my gear I noticed some pretty disturbing bumper stickers on the back window. One said “NRA Forever” and another said, “How do I like Yankees…deep Fried”. At that point I started to wonder what on earth I had gotten myself into. While she looked innocent enough I wondered if she wasn’t some kind of serial killer.

The young woman named Casey, seemingly reading my mind, started laughing then said, “Don’t worry this isn’t my rig. My father is sick and he asked me to make this run for him. Believe me, this isn’t the way I wanted to spend my college break either.

I felt badly about pre-judging Casey and apologized. Instead of chastising me, Casey said, “Heck, if the situation was reversed I would have thought the same thing. Now let’s get rolling”… She then paused before adding, “But before we do we need to settle on your payment”. I looked at Casey and dejectedly said, “I’m sorry but I don’t have much money on me. I guess I’ll have to pass on the ride”.

Casey laughed as she replied, “No silly, your money isn’t good here”. “Then what kind of payment are we talking about”, I asked. Casey smiled, pointed to some mistletoe hanging above us and said, “Just a kiss”. Relieved, I planted a tender kiss on her lips and instantly a connection was made between us.

We crept along in silence through the snowy,  forbidding, white knuckle night. Around daybreak the conditions improved and we stopped for breakfast. By that time we were both starved to death so we stuffed our faces on eggs, bacon, toast and grits. The remainder of the trip flew by as we shared our life stories, dreams and aspirations. During the process we became friends and much more.

We ended up pulling up to my house around midnight, Christmas eve and found the lights on and my family still waiting up for me. As I turned to thank Casey our eyes met and I unexpectedly found myself saying, “I think I love you Casey”. I instantly worried that I had been way too impulsive. To my delight, Casey kissed me and said, “I think I love you too!” What better present could anyone ever hope to get in their stocking?

I then asked Casey to come in and meet my family. I introduced her with:, “Hi family, this is Casey the girl I hope to marry some day”. This surprised my family but after spending that evening and much of the time we had left before returning to school they came to love her too.

As I walked her back to her rig later that Christmas eve we kissed again and as we did so it started to snow once more. As I headed back to the house I thought to myself, “maybe spending  Christmas in Alabama won’t be so bad after all”.

I hope you enjoyed my story and I hope you have a great thanksgiving and I will look forward to having you back for my next Christmas story installment.

Aloha, Paul

I guess I can’t actually call it a marathon but starting this week, for two times per week, and culminating on Christmas day when I will be posting my new Christmas story, I will be posting my previous annual Christmas Stories.

Christmas has always been a special time for me I guess because it was one of the few days growing up that my family could count on for being a fairly happy and peaceful time in what was normally a pretty chaotic household.

I hope you will enjoy my stories, some serious and some funny and I wish everyone a peaceful and happy holiday season and Thanksgiving.

By the way, if you are looking for a fairly cheap and nice gift for the younger folk (or young at heart) please consider my children’s holiday book “Byron The Lonely Christmas Tree” which I originally wrote for our daughters and read to them annually.

And just in case you were wondering, I do still believe in Santa.

Catch you later and I hope Santa is good to you this year.

Aloha,

Paul

I know what you’re probably thinking and I’m sure to many it does in that regard, but that’s not what I’m really going to be talking about in this blog.

The truth of the matter however is that for many size is important. There is big business, big houses, big bank accounts and on and on but it seems to be even more important when it comes to sports.

There is the big win, the big airs, big bombs in football and baseball and surfing has it’s big waves and the people who chase them.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all of those things especially big waves but I think we often get hung up in all of the hype surrounding the whole “big” issue and we often lose site of the difference between fun and taking on a big challenge.

I love when a big swell arrives and despite always feeling a bit anxious prior to paddling out I generally perform pretty well in those conditions and have fun. But if given the choice, I often find myself having a great deal more fun and catching more waves on those days where it is chest high and glassy.

On some really big days, what with all the effort needed to simply get outside, get in position and make a wave, a good session may only yield a hand full of rides coupled with a similar amount of wicked wipe-outs.

On many smaller, especially clean, days I am often able to catch dozens of waves and do a lot more with them and come home with an even bigger smile on my face. In short (not an intended pun) I think it has more to do with the fun factor. So if big makes it more fun than so be but if not then don’t get hung up on it.

Certainly there is a good camaraderie to be had on the big days but it’s no less so on smaller days when all your buddies are out and everyone is catching their share of good rides. I’ve seen on some of the big days where people paddle out and are way over their heads and end up paddling in feeling dejected. The same person however may do well on in a smaller swell and feel great about themselves. Again, isn’t more about having fun?

I taught snowboarding for years and have tried big air’s and rails but in the end enjoyed simply carving the slopes a lot more. In truth, I only pushed myself to do the jumps and airs because I didn’t want to seem lame to the younger riders who I thought looked up to me as an example as I was the head instructor.

One day, in a discussion with one of them I admitted so and he told me, “Don’t worry about doing those things. we respect you for who and what you are and how you’ve helped us so just go out and be the best trail rider you can be”. His advice was good and after that I simply went out and tried to do just that.

There was a time that I had a subscription to Snowboarder magazine and for a while I really enjoyed it. But over time all they covered was big air and pipe and off-piste riding. I’m sure that every kid who read that magazine came away feeling that if they didn’t do those things that they were lame.

This is probably why many riders who I taught their first lesson to went out later in the day and headed straight to the pipe and park, despite my telling them not to, and ended up crashing and burning.

The photo of me with this post was one taken by Eddie Pitts during one of the Wounded “Surf” Warriors events put on by Paul West and the Florida Surfing Association that I volunteered for. As you can see, it wasn’t a big day but the waves were fun and the best part was being able to share them with really great people. As such I came away from it with a big smile and a ton of good memories.

After all isn’t that what it’s all about.

Thanks again for checking in, have a great week and PRAY FOR PEACE.

Aloha, Paul

This past weekend I was fortunate to be both a presenter and attendee of the Surfrider Foundation’s Florida Chapters conference attended by some of the most dedicated and wonderful people on the planet who have dedicated themselves to help protect our oceans, waves and beaches.

During our conference we were fortunate to hear lectures and presentations from Surfrider personnel and activists as well as from environmental experts on topics like global warming and it’s effects on sea level rise, water pollution and water quality issues, the problems with plastics and how to reduce our dependence on them, the problems associated with our dependence on oil and our need to move towards renewable and clean energy and the benefits derived from Ocean Friendly Gardening just to name a few.

In the movie “A League of Their Own”, there is a favorite quote of mine near the end when the one teams pulls off a miraculous victory. The announcer says “I’ve seen enough to know I’ve seen too much”. This quote applies to how I felt after listening to all the science presented by the experts at the conference and from my many years of involvement in Surfrider. There is no doubt in my mind that we are at a cross roads with regards to our environment and it’s health.

Our oceans are becoming more polluted than ever, ocean and air temperatures are rising at an ever increasing rate, our coral reefs are in serious trouble and we are losing animal species or seeing a drop in the numbers of many species at an alarming rate. We are polluting our rivers, streams and oceans with runoff from “fracking”, drilling and from the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers just to name a few.

I know it’s easy and maybe comforting for us to believe these issues aren’t real or are trumped up by those “tree huggers” who have an agenda but as I’ve said before I’ve seen enough to know better.

I’ve been surfing now for fifty years and I have first hand witnessed the negative changes in our oceans and environment. As a child I travelled with my family to a Gulf Coast and South Florida that was exquisitely diverse and beautiful with clean beaches and divers sea life and shells. On recent trips I often see beaches full of litter, some rivers and waters that are too polluted to swim or surf in and a depletion in the numbers and kinds of shells, corals and sea life.

It has been said and believed by many of our fore fathers and the ancients that we don’t own the land, that we are only residents of it for a time and that we are simply stewards of it. As stewards of it, I believe it’s our responsibility to protect and honor it and leave it in as good of shape as possible for generations to come.

As such, I am grateful to all my fellow surfriders as well as all of those who are committed to protecting our land, rivers and streams and oceans, waves and beaches for us and future generations.

For those who don’t see any problems with our environment I suggest you at least open you mind and heart and study up on the issues. if at that time you still don’t believe then so be it. If you do then I hope you get involved and volunteer. Nearly every one of our chapters, as I’m sure it is with most other environmental groups, is desperately in need of volunteers and activists thus leaving the work to the dedicated few.

I’m not one who thinks we can change everything in our lives or in the world overnight but I do believe if we all make positive changes in our lives and do our little part to help the environment then we can make a huge difference and protect the beautiful world we were gifted with for future generations.

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

Aloha and keep the faith.

Paul

I remember an interview from the winter Olympics about ten years ago that really stuck with me. After one of our downhill skiers came in fourth the interviewer asked him “how bad do you feel for about your disappointing finish”?

The Olympian looked at him as if he had two heads and replied, ‘I don’t feel bad at all. Heck I didn’t expect to have done this well and how can I feel bad knowing I’m the fourth best skier in the world”?

I loved his retort. Way too often in todays sporting arena we heap all kinds of praise on winners even if they win in poor fashion and look down upon the losers even if they gave it their all and did so in a stand-up fashion.

In my book, there is no shame in losing if gave it your all and did so in an honorable way.

As a long time and long suffering Met fan, sure I was disappointed that they came up short in the World series as I’m sure every player on the team was. But as I consider all they accomplished this season despite all of the injuries, the classy way they went about their business and how they refused to listen to the naysayers who said they’d never make it that far, I see no need in being ashamed of their loss. As a matter of fact they should feel extremely good about themselves.

Around the all-star break the team was struggling to stay even in the win/loss column as they were short handed due to injuries. They were also battling a Washington Nationals team that was supposed to win going away.

Despite the odds, they kept on battling until they got some talented reinforcements around the trade deadline and the return of some of their key players. In the end they managed to win their division going away, won a divisional series against a very talented and well paid Dodgers team then swept what most analysts and many other thought was a more talented Cubs team to make their way into the World Series.

So despite losing four out of five games, they were in almost every one until the last inning. Sometime, despite your best efforts and desire to succeed, you come up against a foe who simply plays better. The Royals simply played better and seemingly were destined to win this year.

Just like the Royals who came up short last year but won this year, the Mets have the kind of team (If they stay healthy) to make it back next year. if they don’t so be it but knowing the character of the team it won’t be without trying.

I’m sure that Daniel Murphy, Yoenis Cespedes, David Wright and Matt Harvey feel as bad as any of their teammates over their defeat but when I look at their accomplishments, struggles and contributions to the team I see no need for them to do so.

In Daniel’s case he almost single handedly carried the team through the divisional and league playoffs and it would have been unrealistic to expect him to stay that hot. Yoenis came to the Mets at the trade deadline and was a driving force lifting the team to the post season. I also believe if he hadn’t taken a foul off his knee with the bases loaded that took him out of the game, he would most likely have driven In some runs.

In David’s case, I was happy for him to have simply been able to participate in the fall classic. David, despite being a truly stand up guy, spent most of the season trying to come back from spinal stenosis which could easily have ended his career and most certainly limited his abilities in the playoffs and series. Yet despite that he competed well and never complained and competed with all that was in him.

As for Matt, I’m glad he wanted the ball in the ninth inning last night to try and finish what he started. Here was a guy coming off of Tommy John surgery who pitched way more innings that he was supposed to and who fought last night for his team like a man possessed.

I could go on and on about the players and the character of the team but by now I’m sure you get the picture.

Bottom line, when you play hard, play fair and try your best there is never any need to feel shame in losing.

The good news is there is always a next year, just ask the Royals.

Thanks for checking in again this week and I look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloaha, Paul

This week as I was typing my second draft of my new novel “The Waves of Fate” I was shocked to see I had already written over 60,000 words through the first 110 pages of it. Considering my novel “The Nonconformist” was around 450 pages, that means it was comprised by a staggering 240,000 words more or less.

This made we wonder where all of those words came from and how I was able to blend them all into a complete story that got across the points I was trying to make. (I suppose the reader will have to be the judge as to how well I accomplished this however).

To be honest, in looking back at the journey I took in writing “The Nonconformist” and the one I am taking with my new novel, I have no idea how I came up with all of those thoughts, ideas and story lines.

What I am certain of is that words have a great deal of power. If they didn’t then why would people take the time to read or talk or listen in the first place. Words can move us and touch us in many ways. They can make us laugh, cry or make us consider things we have never considered before or take us to places we’ve never been but feel we have after hearing them or reading about them.

When I write, the one thing that is a constant for me is that I want to touch the reader and have them identify with the characters and the feelings and challenges they feel and have to deal with. In my writing I also try to give an insight into how I view the world and the feelings I have experienced. In the end I hope to leave them not only with the enjoyment of a good read but also with a better understanding of themselves, the world and others.

It has often been said that “sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me”. For me, the saying does not hold much water. I have had the snot beaten out of me by people I should have been able to trust or after  jumping into the middle of a fight to protect someone. But while I still have some of the physical scars  from those beatings I don’t carry with me anywhere near the scars left from hurtful words that were spoken about me or to me.

By the same token, I carry with me, to this day, nearly all the words of encouragement, support and praise I have been given over the years as well as words 0f well meaning constructive criticism that helped me to become a better person.

I believe then that we have two choices with regards to the words we use. We can either use them wisely and with the intention of uplifting others or we can chose to use hurtful, negative ones that bring someone down. Either way we need to understand those words will most likely last within those whom we have spoken to or written about them for many years at the very least.

Thanks again for checking in and please let me have the benefit of your thoughts about my blog either positive or as well meaning constructive criticism. In the interim, have a great week and I’ll look forward to seeing you back here again next week.

Aloha, Paul

It’s no secret that there is a lot of stress going around these days. Money is tight for many of us, good (paying) jobs are scarce, there is a lot of tragedy and fighting going on around the world and the political arena is fraught with infighting.

With all that to deal with it’s easy for us all to get caught up in it all and get depressed and downtrodden. You can see the results of it wherever you go, road rage on the highways, negative tweets and facebook posts, reporters and political shock jocks railing against one thing or another and people walking around with huge frowns on their faces.

It’s real easy to get caught up in it all and I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all been there. So what’s the solution. Well I’m sure it’s not always easy but even at the worst of times a good laugh can at least help a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I can be serious as can be when need be but I sure enjoy a good laugh even if it’s at my own expense. I guess that’s why if given the choice I will always choose a comedic movie over a serious one.

And to those who scoff at comedies I’ve found within them a great deal of serious issues being dealt with. It’s just that they do it through comedy. It’s probably why am a big Ernest (Jim Varney) and John Candy fan (God rest their sweet souls). Both of them were generally cast as under dogs who didn’t have a lot going for them but had big hearts and a desire to make life better for those around them. They did so through laughter and self effacing humble pie. What they showed us was that even at the worst of times there is something to be joyous about and good to be found even in a bad situation.

When faced with anger directed towards us we seem to have three options. We can get angry with the person or persons, ignore them or try to make light of it. The first one is generally the easiest and often seemingly the most typical way to respond but one that generally only ends up making us feel bad or disastrous in the end. The second is tougher and in many cases the best option but sometimes the lack of action on our part might bug us for the rest of the day because we didn’t act. The third is definitely the toughest because we have suck up our initial response of striking back and then find some humor in it all.

I remember once while our family was driving on a two lane road outside of Boston (anyone who has driven in the area can attest to how aggressive the driver are there) and apparently I wasn’t going fast enough for the driver behind me (I admit I’m a bit of a slow poke). When I looked back he was close enough to my bumper to see the eyes of the dead bugs on my trunk and he was all red faced and screaming all sorts of epithets at me and shooting me the bird.

Though my first inclination was to strike back I noticed he was with his family so I decided not to. Somehow as I watched him continue on I somehow found his behavior hilarious and I started to laugh and wave hello to him. At first I could tell this only made him all the more angry but after a bit he must have realized he was being a total butt head and he too started to laugh and wave.

Now I know this situation could have ended up deteriorating even further if I wasn’t dealing with a sane person but if showed me how we can help each other simmer down and even smile if we approach things in a light and positive manner.

There are times that I find myself getting all tied up in a knot over something stupid or trivial and it is often only by being called on it by someone else that I can see that I too am being an irrational butt-head. Fortunately after most of those instances, once I’ve been made aware that I’m being a butt-head and accept it,  I end up laughing at myself  for being one which helps me to change my attitude.

It has been said time and again “laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you’re all alone”. While I’m not certain it’s the truth in all instances, at the same time I certainly don’t want to end up alone so I may as well continue to laugh and I hope you do the same so I’ll have someone to watch comedies with.

Thanks for checking In and I hope you smile your way through to next week when we talk again.

Aloha, Paul

The other evening I came across a movie on TV about a young boy who lost his father at an early age and went off to find the meaning of life. In it, his mother, for his thirteenth birthday, got together with friends of his to create a number of situations that would help him discover the meaning of it all.

In the end, through the help of those people, he was able to make sense of his fathers death and reconcile the meaning of life for him.

When the boy thanked the man who had orchestrated it all the man surprised him by saying, “No, thank you for letting me see the goodness of the world through your eyes”.

The truth is, children often see the world in a much different way than we adults do. Children are often able to see spirits when we can’t, are more likely to have bigger dreams and are generally more optimistic and accepting of love and encouragement than most adults.

I believe this is so because they are not yet jaded by life, are more accepting of change and new things and are in awe of the many new experiences they encounter. Their time is also more of looking ahead than looking behind. That is to say they live in the moment and in the future rather than in the past.

Our family has always enjoyed spending time at theme parks. As anyone knows, after doing anything or seeing anything too many times, even the coolest of things can become boring and less interesting.

Whenever I’ve felt this way I try to focus on the little ones around me. Through the excitement and wonder I see in them it all seems new and exciting again to me.

While I’m certainly not implying that we should be childish or immature, at the same time I believe that keeping a child like approach to life, being in the moment and looking forward rather than dwelling on the past, can help us to stay youthful and vibrant.

As a surfer I feel I’m fortunate in that way. As most of my surfer buddies are quite a bit younger I feed off of their youthful exuberance and outlook which helps me to feel more alive and relevant.

Don’t get me wrong, our lives would not be as fulfilled and the world would not survive long without the benefit of those with age and experience as their sage advice. At the same time, however, I think we’d all be a lot happier and the world a better place if we all took more time to try and view the world through the eyes of a child.

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

Aloha, Paul

To say that the past few years have been a bit of a struggle for our family would be an understatement. Between sicknesses, injuries, financial struggles and the rest of the normal stuff all families go through it has truly been a challenge. Fortunately there have been little graces from God sent our way that has helped give us the strength to help get through the tough times.

For me one of those gifts is surfing. Enjoying a good and even not so good session helps me cope, gives me piece of mind and helps me to stay centered and positive.

On the way to the beach this past week for a session in the wonderful surf we’ve had, I tried to make sense of the place surfing has in my life and the following poem came to me. I hope you like and can relate to it whether you are a surfer or not.

“The Ocean’s Embrace”

When my heart is heavy, and my soul is weary, I yearn for the Ocean’s embrace.

When my troubles seem insurmountable, and my future looks bleak, I seek the strength and comfort of the Ocean’s embrace.

As I plunge into it’s womb, and duck under my first wave, my worries are stripped clean, by the cleansing power of the Ocean’s embrace.

As I drop into my first wave, and race down the line, my soul is fortified, by the majesty of the Ocean’s embrace.

As I climb back on shore, after spending time in it’s arms, my heart seem lighter, from spending time in the Ocean’s embrace.

With renewed spirit, I face the world once again, ready for what lies ahead, realizing I owe it all to the one who created, the healing powers of the Ocean’s embrace.

Before signing off I’d like to send my thoughts and prayers out to family, friends and all th0se in the Carolina’s, Bahamas and elsewhere by who have been negatively affected by the recent storms and especially to the crew and family members of the freighter that has been lost at sea.

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

Aloha and take care,

Paul