Monday, March 30, 2009

The weight of my dreams

So this morning I bit the bullet and weighed my life.
Boards, bags, pants, shoes went on the bathroom scale
nothing was spared
An interesting observation occurred 2 hours later
Weight of my board and sails - 74 lbs
Weight of my everyday shoes and clothing - 64 lbs
My dreams weigh 10 lbs more than my everyday life.
I like that :)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Feeling loved

There is something ridiculously satisfying about driving home from Tahoe on a Wednesday afternoon. A car packed with good friends and lots of winter garb, to a place I've called home for the past 5 years.
It almost made worth,
every thankless overtime night I had ever pulled,
to be feeding guests with home grown vegetables and hacked risotto
and polishing off the most incredible peach pie shamelessly, effortlessly

As a perfect day of laughs and memories drew to a close,
Boards and bags swapped cars, and goodbyes said
I was left with a peacefully sweet feeling that somethings never go away
even if everything you know does

Of how our interactions shape us
and how you'll never really leave your friends behind
because you carry bits of them, in the ways you think and laugh,
wherever life takes you

Here's to algae-fed eggs and closing out northstar on snowshoes

Thursday, March 12, 2009

the simple kind of life

Isn't it incredible what we do
we buy, then spend time looking after our purchases
we earn, then pay back to heal our bodies

my mind returns to a period of time 6 years ago
when traveling europe involved a tiny backpack
and only 1 set of fancy clothes
and 2 pairs of shoes
it was heaven

"I wish I could just rear chickens and vegetables to sustain myself"
I mused during physical therapy
"and how would you afford your boards?"
"I'll barter trade them, that's a lot of chickens..."
my plans fall a little short, revealing newly found trouble in paradise

How a surfer can live a simple life, when traveling involves hauling
an obscene amount of fiberglass or epoxy
breaks my little vision of a bohemian existence
At least I have figured out how to get spinach and bak choy growing
even if moving boards across continents is going to present an interesting challenge shortly.

For as lightly as I do live and travel, it's all that I can't leave behind -
a quiver of 08' neilpryde sails and a custom quartro wave machine *sigh*

Monday, March 9, 2009

A lifetime ago


Today I had a fight with my shoulders
"Don't you want to go to Davenport today?"
Daisy, my right shoulder grunts "No."
Betsy, my left, retorts back,"Daisy gets all the attention."
She's pretending that she's perfect, but from the mirror I can tell that they are both in the wrong position, dysfunctional in their own ways
"Come on, just a little cat stretch?"
silence...
Obviously repetitive physical therapy exercises have facilitated a vibrant imagination

I think they are both pissed from being overworked in the water yesterday
even if the rest of me is delirious from being dunked in cold water
memories of slipping down pink sunset waves dancing in my mind,
building up a new resolve

"Oh yes you will stretch...
And don't think you're not going to Davenport either."
continues the soliloquy as I push unyielding muscles to foam roller.
I'm talking to my muscles, oh dear...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Acceptance

"it's cool to have mismatched clothing, it makes for better photos"
The sales associate said as
she handed me the remnant 'xs' pieces from the sale rack
This is going to be good, as I imagined the orange storm jacket joining a random array of hand-me-down bright olive pants from Kim and other discount goodies.
"besides, if you get lost, they can find you more easily," she smiled.

Yesterday I finally embraced the fact that I had been laid off...
and ran with it.
scrambling down cliffs of sand by ocean
in sunshine on a bright Wednesday afternoon
dreaming up a future without my right arm constantly on a mouse
or my back constantly in pain
I don't think I've ever been this excited or happy in my career
than knowing that this is a great time to re-engineer life
now that former constraints have all dissolved

So today I ditched the cooperate garb mentality
and walked out again in the sunshine, this time in bright olive pants
and loving every second of it.

This is not going to be good,
this is going to be great.