and there he sat under the tree. he had sat there many times under the same tree worried about the wind worried about the swell. An old friend rocks up talks of his house in the city his job, mortgage the stress of it. old mate had put on weight and lost his hair he still surfed when he could but not as much as he would like.you know the mortgage and the car and keeping his job. And there he sat waiting for the arvo glass off on the coast away from the city the big house the car the big mortgage the stress. his modest house that kept him warm, his family inside his 30 hour week, the flexible approach to life and the balance of it. A couple boards under the verandah , boards timeless pintail guns built by hand by the local shaper, bit weathered like him from the seasons, the rain, the sun...Old mate stood there blinking wondering how it had happened, he had brought himself here to stand under the tree and watch the wind and check the swell. not that it really mattered anymore it was more now a passing thought than a constant nagging. he had it all or so he thought Time as it always did passed along and there they sat waiting watching. the sound of the wind, the salt in the air, an ant crawling across his foot, the smell of eucylptus, the swell rolling across the horizon. The tinny was launched not a word spoken, two weathered guns in the boat...you dont need that 6'6 old mate its got 3 fins .... through the bay the weathered boat made its way. it didnt need to be steered it knew the way well. no need for chit chat no stickers no new wetsuit no fancy car no big mortgage.. the boat started idling, maybe the man of the sea had slowed it down, maybe the sea had slowed the old man down but there was a sense of belonging. isnt this what old mate had bought with the debt ,the house the job, to belong, part of society ,social responsibility, make his way, get a career.Thought was interupted by the sea swallowing the anchor, the sound of a chain running over the aluminium hull, the eyes of both men looked as a large piece of ocean unloaded on a shallow piece of reef in front. The feel of an old board underneath the feet the fibreglass against the mountain, no one around ,nothing to prove no one to impress. The clock kept ticking, the boat came back in the bay two smiling faces two magic boards. The man of the sea sat under his tree and i drove home.

Encapsulation means to express the essential features of (something) succinctly. You just did that.

10/10 razz

thought id share it, its given me a kick up the arse about what is important. if your reading this get off the computer kiss ya miss go for a paddle.

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kiteboy dave said..
10/10 razz

9.9/10 - only because it was hard to read without paragraphs & punctuation. Normally I'd deduct a full point, but the content deserved a better score.

Oh, and I'm hearing ya! I need to hit the water more and work less.

Ok this year is about more balance in my life .
yesterday work it was very hot then windsurf it was good then strippers & refreshing cider on the way home to steak the size of the plate . Was good wish the wind & strippers were on everyday

sweet piece, hit a chord with me

nothing wrong with the simple life

Loved it Razz. It's so easy to get stressed with work etc .. Sometimes mine almost does my head in .. It's all bull**** at the end of the day and the best thing about life is dropping into a peak somewhere and washing it all away

Good read, great message........ Cheers man!

GT

Good read Razzonater, I'm sure most on here have regrets regarding their work/life balance. I just don't see the point in all the stress and working your ar$e off for decades in a job you probably don't like so you can die a millionaire. I think people get sucked into it and before they know it they are turning 40, have a half million dollar mortgage are stressed out of their minds with work, family, bills etc and just wish that life would slow down and they could surf more.