It was one of those Jack Johnson kind of mornings…all I wanted to do was start my day off with some banana pancakes, mellow tunes, and good vibes. Naturally, I had on my Jack Johnson Radio playlist and was feeling pretty good about life. The sun was showing off and shining it’s rays on my back porch; I could practically feel the warmth just by looking at it through my window. I was soaking up the moment in all of it’s entirety, when a certain song came on the radio…
Breakdown by Jack Johnson really speaks to me because it reminds me to stop and enjoy life. As funny as it sounds, it can actually be really positive to have that train breakdown, crash, and burn. This allows you to step outside and enjoy the world that you’ve been moving through this whole time. Brilliant isn’t it! This song is also a part of the soundtrack to a short surfing documentary called A Brokedown Melody (view trailer here). Jack Johnson was physically and musically involved in this film, which was the whole reason I decided to watch it in the first place. Aside from having some great surfing footage from surfers like Kelly Slater, this film stood out because it put a lot of emphasis on a specific lifestyle. They talked about living and “operating in the present”, which is “the foundation of the entire surfing experience”. The ocean is constantly moving and unpredictable so you have to be focused on where you are to stay afloat and take on waves. Gotta love that H2O!
Sunset Cliffs, San Diego, CA
On the topic of “operating in the present” it is impossible to avoid technology so let’s dive right into it…sorry to inform you avid duckface makers but when you’re out on the water you’re not gonna be able to get on Facebook or Instagram and whip out your precious puckers for the world to see. You don’t have time to sit there glued to a screen, while liking, commenting, filtering, and hashtagging the shizznits out of photos. However, I promise you, life will go on. Why do I know this for certain? Because I have the glorious iPhone 7…
…yes you heard me correct. This fancy pants phone is so darn high-tech that you can’t even tell it’s a smart phone! So high-tech that it literally won’t let me access any sort of internet at any time of the day…innovative right!? So high-tech that every single time someone has seen it they are utterly baffled. My point is that you really do not need your phone as much as you think you do. We really need to take it back to the basics and start living this surfing lifestyle more often; we’ll thank ourselves for it later.
A little while ago I watched the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (view trailer here), directed by Ben Stiller, which also emphasizes the joy one will have when they explore the world and all it has to offer. One of my favorite scenes was at the very end (spoiler alert) when Walter witnesses Sean, the photographer, in position to take a magnificent picture of a leopard that he had been waiting to capture. Sean instantly looks up from his lens and stares out at the beautiful sight in front of him. He never ends up taking the picture, which I absolutely love. I think that in life it is so much more meaningful to capture moments without distractions. There are some things in life that need to be experienced with your absolute attention.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that taking photographs is a wonderful thing to do! They help bring back memories and allow one to share with others something magical, even if those people were not physically there. However, this should never be the focus; appreciate some balance in your life.
Humankind tends to be very focused on moving forward fast, dealing with complications, and revolving life around a digital world; this makes it very easy to forget to live in the present moment. I challenge you to put down your phone in the company of others and stay off of Facebook for days on end…whatever it takes to help give you some distance from social media. We aren’t perfect but we can give things a try so I urge you to give it a go! It’s our time to bring humanity back to it’s roots…
Live for the now…oh and have some fun with it! Alright, now get away from this screen, wander around the world for awhile, and give it your all. Adventure is calling!
SundaySchauers 