What a Difference a Year Makes

Another potential snow storm has come and gone leaving no trace of the white stuff on the seacoast. Though there is snow up north. That actually needs repeating. There IS SNOW up North. Albeit, not like last year, none the less, there's snow. Just because we don't see any in our backyards does not mean there's nothing up North. There is. So head on up.

They got 10 to 12" last night! "There's snow in them thar hills!"

Speaking of last year. Good lord, what a major difference there is between last winter and this winter. Are you kidding me? It seemed like every other day we were getting slammed with snow. I know, because I had to surf every day, and I could not go up north to go snowboarding. Of course this winter has seen little or nothing in terms of snow here on the seacoast. And with me hurting my knee in December, I've been out of the water and the mountains. Ugh.

Like I said, what a difference a year makes.

There has been surf every week. At least that is, according to my records. There has been at least one day during each calendar week, of waist high or better. This week saw chest high surf on Thursday, and a few leftovers on Friday and even a small windblown waves on Saturday. But that west wind was doing all it could, to flatten those little guys out. They did in fact, end up doing just that. Kilt it. That wind is still wailing out there. But there's snow in the Mountains!

So get your snow loving asses up there and go Skiing and Snowboarding!

How many of you got wet this week? My guess is quite a few of you. And I'm talking about all up and down the East Coast . I know Florida had waves. I know we had waves here in Northern New England. So I'm guessing that most of the East Coast was lit up with this last swell. You gotta figure that Hatteras was firing as well as Jersey and Long Island. So what is that? Hundreds? Thousands?

But I bet not a single one of you thought about what you were really doing.

Here let me be a bit more succinct. I'm speaking about the actual act of what
we do out in the water. I know it's called surfing. But to me, it's always been something deeper. Something way more spiritual. Something profoundly personal. What the hell am I talking about? I'm talking about the concept of you the human being, riding on a piece of fiberglass, on top of something that is living breathing liquid. That wave is all of that and more.

If you were to stop and think about what a wave actually is, chances are you would look and think about surfing in an entirely different light. I know I have ever since it dawned on me back in the early 80's when I first thought about it. It changed the way I approach surfing. And I believe I spoke of this when we all participated in the Memorial paddle for Molly Rowlee on August 22nd 2009.

I spoke of this personal journey that we all partake in.

And to be more clearer for you. That journey begins with a tempest out at sea. That tempest becomes a moving, living, piece of liquid, and starts it's long journey towards the shore. Gaining speed and height as it moves closer and closer to it's final destiny. It's last gasp. It's demise. The End of life. And there
we are to meet this living liquid swell. This living wave.

We are there to meet it, at the end of it's life. How truly special is that?

And we all know, that each and every wave would be there, regardless of whether or not we are there, to catch it, and share those final moments. To share in it's infinite beauty. That glassy, hollow, perfect wave, moving towards shore. The closer it gets, the bigger it gets.

To swing our boards and stroke deep, moving in that cosmic rhythm of life. Created by nature, by God, by all that is good and full of life. We meet that wave, catch that wave, and ride that wave...to the end. Then we kick out, and paddle back out, while the wave explodes on the sand, reefs, and rocks, and dissipates and dissolves back to the mother ocean, from which it was spawned.

How many of you thought about that on Thursday?

While you were out surfing those perfect waves? Those unique, individual, living swells of liquid. My guess is not many. If any at all. That's OK. I thought about it, as I have thousands of times since the early 80's...it's why surfing is something so special to all of us. I tried sharing that sentiment on Molly's paddle. How we are so lucky to have what we have. In light of what is going on in the world. Our liquid world will always be special.

Because of that simple act of sharing that final moment with each wave.

I have friends who swear they never watch the news. Really? How do you know what's happening in the world if you don't watch the news? Or read the news? There are many ways to get your news. TV, Radio, Newspaper (remember those?) and now of course, the Internet.

But me? I need to know what's going on. I can't turn a blind eye to the many different stories unfolding each and every day. I can't. I want to know if IRAN is threatening ISRAEL and the US again. I want to know what North Korea is up to. I want to know what the SYRIANS are doing. I want to know what the political arena is up to. I want to know if we lost any more Americans in the GWOT. I
want to know if any killer storms are heading our way. That is after all, news too.

And I want to keep up on the latest sports and entertainment news as well.

There's too much happening in our world that I want to know about. But then again, that's just me. But I know I'm not alone. I know that there are many of you out there who are just the same. And I also know, that some of you who hear the same news as I do, walk away with a different perspective on what is happening. But I guess that's what makes the world go round. The Left and the Right. And all of those in between. We all make up this big beautiful world.

And the biggest news for me? I'm going surfing with the next swell. Oh yea.

..."Surfing Heals ALL Wounds..."

Now for some of my Weekly Global Observances:

I was once again saddened by the news of an American woman icon gone before her time. And this time it was in the line of duty. And not by some designer drug or alcohol. I am speaking of the passing of War Correspondent Marie Colvin. She was killed this week while reporting on the story in Syria. Colvin had lost an eye in 2001 while covering the fighting in Sri Lanka. She was known for her stoic reporting and was an icon in the news media with her trademark eye patch.

She was killed along side French photographer/reporter Remi Ochlik in the city of Homs in Syria. The fighting has been one sided and intense as Syrian forces have continued to bomb and kill innocent unarmed civilians. In fact, her last report was a heartbreaking story on a small boy who died while on camera. I know, I watched it on CNN that night. Just terrible, heart breaking horror.

Marie Colvin died doing what she believed in. Facing the tiger to get the real story. It's what hundreds of journalists have done for decades. Rest In Peace Marie.

OK this week the Supreme Court were busy debating on whether or not the Stolen Valor Act was an injustice of the First Amendment. The case is based on Politician Xavier Alvarez who claimed that he served 25 years in the Marine Corps and was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor and was wounded 8 times (by the same guy). Turns out, he never served a single day in the Military. There is a law that was enacted in 2005 called the STOLEN VALOR ACT and it strictly prohibits any false representation of wearing any military medals that you did not earn.

The Obama administration is urging the Supreme Court to Uphold the existing law.

What does that tell you? I mean Good Lord people have we all lost our collective minds here? This dirtbag is claiming to have spent 25 years in the United States Marine Corps. He has stated that he was wounded 8 times! And the most disgusting of all, he claims to have been awarded the Medal of Honor. What is there to discuss? At the very least he should be forced to spend 100's of hours of community service at all the VA hospitals, all the VA shelters, all the Wounded Warrior events, and he should attend each and every burial service of any American who was killed in the current war.

The simple fact that 90% of the men and women who have medals of valor earned them the hard way. They died. Horrible frightening deaths. They gave their last breath for our country. Meanwhile the Supreme Court is trying to decide whether or not this is an infringement on this guys rights to Freedom of Speech? Are you kidding me?

I say keep the existing Stolen Valor Act and get on with more important issues.