Getting older isn’t so bad. It’s actually pretty cool. Although one gets sore more easily and grows more prone to injury, age unlocks some important insights. Call it maturity, call it experience, call it wisdom. Whatever it is, one should be grateful for the trade-off. It allows one to keenly see things for what they are.
About a year ago, I broke my back at The Wedge. It was the first sizable swell of the season, and the sand was awful. When the sand is awful, The Wedge is an especially treacherous place. There is a price tag attached to days like this. I paid that price, and I grew from the experience.
Fortunately, I am back at it again and, of course, have gained some important insights along the way. I’ve learned that it’s not about giving up the passion like a lot of people do as they get older, injured, sore and tired. It’s that mature choices should begin to outweigh the shortsighted decisions that used to take precedence at youth.
That’s my mindset in and out of the water these days. Old’s cool! Get out there and enjoy the aging!
