Over a year ago I asked everybody what I should do concerning my girlfriend versus the beach. I had moved to an area that was away from the beach and cold. She moved near here (read 1.5 hours away) and I only saw her on the weekends. I wanted to get back to the beach desperately but I was torn between her and the beach.
Well, after a year of still being up here I am glad to say I will be moving back to the beach in two weeks! Me and the missus split up (yes it still hurts at times) and I got a job in my field in my home town. I’m very excited to be going back to my real home. And sure, it’s Virginia Beach; not the greatest waves in the world, but trust me folks, when it’s not at your disposal every day you miss any and everything about it. Last year was the most miserable year of my life, now I’m on a mission to make this year one of the best. This means as much time in the water (flat or not) as I can get.
I would like to thank all swaylocker’s out there that posted their stoke when I had none. You guys all kept me sane (and a little stir-crazy) in a landlocked city. Something like this makes me realize what I had and I am one of the lucky ones that gets to get it back. Please don’t take your beach (no matter how good or bad the waves are) for granted and get out there and enjoy every second that you have in the water. Thanks again everybody.
Hi Monk - don’t know you but I’m with you. Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Hope you score some epic waves (every wave is epic when you’ve been out of the water for ages!)
If the waves are flat, like lake flat… maybe grab a snorkel and some fins and have a look around… I often do this at breaks I surf when they are FLAT and its amazing to see them from another perspective…
Thats actually how I got my girl into surfing… she would come for a snorkel every now and then and we dive a bit too… so surfing is just another way to enjoy the water… she loves it now…
who knows what the future holds… enjoy what you have right now!!
Thanks for your support guys. I am in the process of looking for a paddleboard so I can get the most out of the ocean even on the flat days. Any help in that department would be great as well!
Congrats, I’m envious. I’m stuck in Charlottesville, VA and would love to end my love affair with academia but the pay is too good. God I miss the beach - you are doing the right thing!
Good call. you can’t live through other persons to make them happy.
My ex-wife, wanted me to close my factory and move to Brunswick, Georgia and build skate boards for a skate park. I said never, I was sending here to law school at the time, she ditched me for the law professor, the he dumped her, but not before she had a child with him, 18 years of vaginamony, he really wasn’t a bad guy. He’s living in the house I built
I was walking towards the showers with a pair of sandy booties a couple months ago. This guy who’s also carrying a pair of booties approaches me and asks - “how do you deal with stinky booties?”. My answer - “get a girlfriend who surfs”.
Get the dog and stay single as long as possible. Trust me. I lived on the beach in Carlsbad for two years at $550 per month including utilities. The school that I work at hooked me up with the place and that was part of my “perks” package. I rescued a dog from a shelter (now MY dog Nick) and we hit the beach every day. He became a total beach dog. I surfed a minimum of 3 sessions per day, and I was getting to the point where I thought about somehow turning my surfing, board shaping, filming, and music into a career (somehow). I was living my dream.
Then, I found myself taking it for granted, telling myself I wanted more out of life than just living out my surf bum fantasy, and I met a girl in church who’s looks stopped me dead in my tracks.
To make a long story short, I now live 1.5 miles away from my school, I’m 6 blocks from the beach, I’m married, have a step-son, a baby girl on the way, and I am lucky to get out in the water once a week.
Not that I am bummed about my life change, but it has really made me appreciate what I HAD. I now have a beautiful family, a yard dog instead of a beach dog, and I’m about 30 pounds heavier than I was living at the beach.
I am desparately trying to “get back to the beach,” only this time with my family in tow. I know what the beach has to offer me. I know that God and surfing have given me everything that I call “my lifestyle”, and I know that the further I get from the beach and surfing, the more unhappy I am.
LIVE IT AS LONG AS YOU CAN!!! DON’T LOOK BACK, and DON’T LOOK AHEAD… just LOOK DOWN THE LINE THAT YOU’VE DRAWN ON THAT WAVE FACE! That is the best advice I can give regarding your situation.
Man! mine lived a goodly long time,and like John Mellor said ,my new dog will never replace my old Heeler “Shelby”…but he’ll carve his own lines in our family’s life foresure.
Looking at a second…a 3 mo./female New Foundland…two TOO BIG dogs…well we haven’t had any pets in awhile,it’s time,and I need to stay away from the pound TOO !..LOL !
congratulations, man!..this is probably the best thing that ever happened to you. down the line, you’ll look around at your wonderful life, and know that had you not found your way back to the beach, albeit solo, life couldn’t possibly be as good.
i met jim a few years back at his shop in encinitas. he’s one VERY stoked dude, and i hope he can tell that story of his with a smile.
