Good morning from my dining room table.
I am sitting here, listening to some dub step, writing this new entry as I enjoy some cinnamon Puffins with hemp milk, and a freshly french pressed pot of Peets Coffee: Major Dickinson blend.
Lately, I have been getting a little sad, waking up to clear skies and all...I am really looking forward to Fall.
However, I did wake up yesterday morning to breathtaking blue skies, warm water and smooth seas. And it was well worth it. 4 friends and I all went surfing, along with one of my favorite gal pals Anya Marina. She had only been surfing once before and as she put it, ‘To be completely honest, I am terrified’. She was such a natural though, and at one point, just paddled all the way out to us, and was doing her Missy Elliot dance moves as she wobbled back and forth, while straddling her blue foam board.
It was pretty amazing to see our circle come round full. I am happy to report that Anya is now addicted to surfing and said something to me like, ‘Now I know why you do that every morning, and why you don't wear make up ..and why you never worry about anything..’ Its true..Surfing is a real blessing. I would like to especially acknowledge and thank it today. Its brought together many people in my life, and brought about a lot of joy. I've witnessed it strengthen relationships, it nearly saved my parents marriage and our whole family for that matter. I've witnessed it turn the worst of frowns upside down. I've watched it unite a community and celebrate the loved ones who have since passed. I also feel blessed to have been practically raised in the ocean, I've lived within walking distance of it since I was born. Im not sure I could ever live anywhere too far from it.
With that being said, no matter how close or how far away you live from the ocean, it is affected by us all. My family has been an active member and participant in the Surfrider Foundation since as far back as I can remember. When I started playing music, I was able to get even more involved; I donated a track I did with Dave Quicks to the ‘Music for other Mother Oceans CD’ and this past year I did a whole bunch of beach cleanups around the country...from the beaches of Montauk in New York, to Lady Bird lake in Austin, Texas and onto Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Picking up trash and raising awareness everywhere we went. Our oceans, lakes and waterways are becoming so polluted these day, and its up to us to turn it around. I cant even believe how many cigarette butts I saw at some of the beaches, and to be honest, I cant even imagine why anyone would have the desire to smoke on a beach in the first place...but if the beach inspires you to light up, HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTT! Something I noticed when I was England; there are a lot of smokers, but everyone holds on to their butts, they even have these nifty little containers they put them in...especially in the beach communities I visited. No one litters, its highly shunned upon, its not cool. Littering in general is not cool, so put your shizzy in the trash can already. So much of our litter, even yours- beautiful person that lives in the middle of the country, ends up on people like me's local beaches. So put it in the trash, put in the recycle or throw it in a compost bin.
Today celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Surfrider Foundation, and I want to congratulate them on 25 solid years, raising awareness to people all over the world, from the older generation to the kids who are the future of tomorrow. What started as a small group of dedicated surfers in Malibu, has now turned into over 50,000 people and 80 chapters worldwide. If you want to learn more on how to get involved you can visit; http://www.surfrider.org/
Like I said it doesn't matter if you live near or far, we can all help to make our oceans, lakes and waterways a little bit more clean and sparkly. Raising awareness has never been so easy.
Last but not least, I will leave you with some tips that you can practice everyday:
* Pick up after your pet, no one likes a floating turd in the line up!
*Conserve water, like say; when your brushing your teeth, turn the water off!
*Dispose of your motor oil properly, don't pour it down a street drain or sewer of any kind! And if your car leaks fix it! Come first rain of the season, all that leaky oil finds its way off the street and into the ocean!
*Pick up your trash and everyone else's when you leave the beach!
I am always stuffing everything from candy bar wrappers to balloon strings in my wetsuit while surfing, and picking up litter as I leave the beach.
It doesn't take a lot and a little goes a long way! By remembering to do a couple of those things each day, you can help make a huge difference...
Congrats to the Surfrider Foundation on 25 years of awesomeness!
See you tonight at the Gala!!!
Tristan