Pencil it In

I lost my planer and life is a mess. Actually, life is grand. Just sometimes when I decide to go surfing I forget that I have to run a meeting during that time, or something random example like that. I have been learning (over the last five years or so...it's a long process) to manage my surftime. One thing I have learned is that people generally don't appreciate it when you don't answer your phone for hours or show up to dates late and wet. Many claim that, "surfing is not a sport; it's a lifestyle." It reminds me when doctors on TV say "this is not a diet; it's a life choice." There may be some truth in both of these sayings but neither sentiment is truly captured in these kitschy slogans. However, if the way of the surfer is taken to heart, it does tend to penetrate the everlooming schedule. Dates and plans lost, surfing takes over the mindset of time. Punctuality tends to drip down the list of priorities. Gringos often call this "Latin time." Aka: Latino/a's are always late. But it is more that being late; it is the mindset that time should not be the only thing that structures our day, there is so much more to living than when. The trick is to squeeze this timeless mindset into the schedule of a iphone-oriented culture and squeeze a "lifestyle" into a session between work and a date.


Photo credit: Alex Swanson