On loss and barreling through life

There are times when life shakes you to the core:

the loss of a loved one, your job, your home, when the #barrel of fun suddenly turns dark and you are thrown at high speed into an uncertain future, as the walls cave in, your breath becomes shallower, and you brace yourself for what seems like only two possible outcomes: total annihilation, pain and darkness, or a miracle exit, where the black dot at the end of the tunnel somehow turns into light and you find yourself blinking at the sun in disbelief.

I’ve lost all three in the past. With age, I’ve learnt to enjoy the little moments in between, before the accelerating wheel of life draws my unlucky number again and tells me what or who I’ve lost. This week, the #surfing #ohana has been rocked by the death of #chaschidester, devastating floods on #Kauai destroying hundreds of homes, and I have lost my dearest ocean-loving uncle, with whom I’ve spent countless hours sitting on the rocks in a content silence, staring at the horizon waiting for the wind to turn, the sun to come down, the fish to jump, the waves to roll in.
As that other brand said, we’re #justpassingthrough. Enjoy the ride and everything around it. It’s all we have. It’s all we have, and it’s f****ing amazing.  📷: @clarklittle #swellbound