Early on in my life people would tell me, “You like to do things the hard way.” And I'm like, “Well, I just like to do the hard things!” 

I definitely like overcoming challenges. I think that's what it's all about.

Surfing is where I wash it all away; it's where I recharge. I go surfing and it just makes me feel normal, like I'm doing things right. I come out energized, whether or not I'm totally exhausted – I'm stoked. And I'm just happy with everything else after that. 

I’m here today, jonesing to go surf, but I’m not going out because I injured my back a couple of weeks ago. I was paddling for a wave and I just felt something pop. 

I like where I'm at, but the body's not keeping up. So it's tough. There's a reality that I’m trying to deny. In my youth, I remember when I moved here, the people I surfed with would be stretching before they paddled out and I would be, like, “What the fuck!? Let's go! I'll see you out there!” And now I’m like, “Oh, dude, I need to get a warm-up session in before I get out there or I'm gonna not have another session tomorrow. So I'm doing stretches and physical therapy and things even when I'm not surfing. So when I come out here, I'm like, an inch more prepared.”

I participate in the West side of the city. I consider myself living at the beach, not in the city. Maybe I'm wondering, because I was injured, if maybe I’m growing out of this? Maybe I don't have the drive or something.  And would I want to stay here in San Francisco if the beach wasn't a part of my regular life. What would I do? How am I gonna feel about that? Am I gonna be happy enough just watching my kids do their things?

My body’s changing and it’s, like, use it or lose it. I see I'm on the cusp here. Things at rest tend to stay at rest. Things in motion tend to stay in motion. So I'm trying to keep that motion going, right? But I have to be more conscious about it.  I'm not going out and playing all day, but when I play, I want to be ready. I don’t want my body failing me. 

With surfing, you work hard, and then you get this super fast, epic thing as a reward at the end. Some days you don’t have to work too hard, maybe it's a really good, clean day, or you're in good shape, and things are just flowing, and then you can overcome the technical aspects, and you can work on just becoming a better surfer. You don't get a lot of those opportunities when you're surfing and the conditions are perfect, and the waves are long enough, and you're hitting it, and you're in that flow state.

I think it’s all about overcoming the obstacles that Mother Nature provides. I like seeing progress in myself. 

It’s a battle, and I definitely like overcoming challenges. I think that's what it's all about.