The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity 
To accept the things I cannot change; 
Courage to change the things I can; 
And wisdom to know the difference. 

Living one day at a time; 
Enjoying one moment at a time; 
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world 
As it is, not as I would have it; 
Trusting that He will make all things right 
If I surrender to His Will; 
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life 
And supremely happy with Him 
Forever and ever in the next.  

Amen.

(prayer attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971)

PATHWAYS

In 2011, I was driving south on 101 going to work after a nice holiday vacation with my wife. Out of nowhere, a car clipped me and my truck was aimed for the freeway wall at 65 mph. If you have ever been in a hyper state like this...(going over the falls at middle peak 2-3x overhead?) you know your mind experiences a time continuum (a virtual slowdown) that allows for precise thinking. I saw a break in the wall and pointed my mass of 4 wheel metal for the opening...I made it! And as I realized it led to an open ditch, no braking, no matter how hard I tried, was going to stop me from going now 50 mph.. to 0 in an instant!. The seat belt saved my life...it also broke my back. Sitting in the truck...stunned at what had just happened in less than 6 seconds, I was grateful to be conscious and alive. I could move my toes and my fingers and as the pain shot up my spine, I began to experience an intense desire to get out of that truck! Opening the driver door, I rolled out and fell to the ground unable to move. Fortunately, several people stopped and the first one there was a nurse who commanded me, "not to move"! I made it to the hospital and was released a few days later. Wrapped in a brace, I began the therapy required to overcome the fracture and pain a few weeks later. 

As my rehab and recovery began to take shape...my one desire was to get back in the water. A few months later as I repeatedly discussed my inclination to skip this and get back to Steamer Lane, my PT told me, (off the record of course) "this injury will take 1.5 to 2 years and to stop thinking that getting back into the water for anything other than rehab". Whoa? Serious? 

He was right. I did the body brace for exactly 12 weeks (my wife was incredible and my strength) and began working on my L4, L5 disc rehab and saw improvement every month. I was relentless on rehab because I wanted to be free of the pain and I wanted to get back in the ocean.

In 2012, about 20 months after my 101 adventure...I was sitting outside middle peak on 6-8 foot day and couldn't careless if I caught a wave. For over a year and a half, every rehab session was soothed by the thought that I would be sitting in the water one day, enjoying the surf. A few nods from the crew made the late afternoon scene complete as the sun was setting over seal rock. The sky illuminated with hues of blues and yellows of every description. I sat on my board, embracing the experience, realizing how fortunate I was to be there in the moment.

​Grateful to be there...sitting in the water, just like I imagined it.

​My pathway to peace.

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​Photos provide the senses with a complicated rush of emotion and memories that are not to be missed!
I believe it's truly living when we know our place in life resonates with the opportunities we were given
to be human. To be a hand up, to those in need. As we never know when a smile, a kind word, or a simple
head nod of acceptance, springs forth a human heart.

Our time here...is spent with friends, surfers, families.
We work, we surf, we enjoy the beauty of what
​Santa Cruz means to each of us. 

Most of all...we live a sacred life. We remember, we laugh, we wipe away the tears, we think of you. ​

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