My Thanksgiving weekend started with a thought. I told myself I would not have any expectations for the holiday ahead. Trying to juggle family, friends, and my own personal needs (surfing) seemed daunting. My wife, her sister, and I, all Bay Area natives, decided to make the journey up north on Wednesday from Santa Barbara. I didn’t check any surf reports, but I made sure to pack a wetsuit and towel, knowing that I left my gun at my in-laws house the trip before.
Whenever I visit San Francisco I make it a point to check surf reports for any sign of Ocean Beach coming alive. This trip, however, felt different. I just let life come to me. No pressure. No waking up early. I just cruised. Around 3:3o p.m. on Saturday, I realized how cool the air was. I knew there was a good chance the wind would be favorable. With only an hour and a half of light left, I raced down to the beach. To my surprise, Ocean Beach was on fire. It was by far some of the best beach break I had ever seen. I was torn between filming and surfing, but I eventually opted to film.
The next day I paddled out into some solid surf with a few friends. I surfed for three hours and only caught two mediocre waves. I realized that expecting to get the best wave of my life ultimately set me up for failure. It’s these expectations that can only lead to disappointment. If we let life happen, who knows what it has in store for us. Fortunately for me, I was forced to paddle back to shore, giving myself the opportunity to film the last bit of light and highlighting some brave souls conquering what life had put in front of them.
