Musings

Life on the North Shore of Oahu can be a little bit blissful for some of us.  We call it “living the dream”.  It’s a term usually saved for those of us who get to live and work at the beach.  The North Shore is known for its beautiful sunsets, white sandy beaches  and fantastic surf spots, so for a surfer, it’s genuinely a dream life to live.  However, there is a dark side to the North Shore that goes beyond too much traffic on the weekends.  For starters the cost of owning a home is out of reach for many of the locals who are a part of our close-knit community. 
Along with housing, there is a growing divide between the haves and the have nots.  It’s a reflection of the overall high cost of living in Hawaii.  The Aloha State, for the first time anyone can remember, actually had a net decrease in the number of people living here a number offset by a record 9 million visitors last year.

Paying it for forward always makes my day a little better.  Just yesterday while I was checking my mail at the Haleiwa Post Office a fellow mail checker commented on how he needed a pair of readers and how where he came from they only cost a $1 and how he was trying to get his life together.  Knowing how difficult it is to too function without readers when you need them, I gave him my pair ( I have at least 4 more pairs at home) and asked him to pay it forward.  My reward the knowledge that not only did I make his day a little better but the too would do the same for others… Paying it forward works!

Gender equality in surfing definitely does not exist. Currently as of 2016 there no WSL, World Surfing League contest scheduled on the North Shore for women. The women’s WSL tour consists 17 women competing in 7 surfing contest compared to the men’s tour that contains 34 surfers competing in 10 surfing contest. The prize purse disparity is even worse the winner of a men’s surfing contest receives on average a $100,000 while the women’s champion only receives on average $40,000. The economics trickle down from there, because women receive less face time at surfing contest they are less viable to sponsors and as such the male dominated surf industry justify s paying less money in sponsorship.

Every surfer girl should have a set of New Year’s Resolutions to motivate one’s self to improve in life….Here are mine…..

1. Drink a lot more water

2. Eat a lot more live green food

3. Apply sunscreen more often, especially when in the water

4 Practice yoga a lot more

5, Be as kind as I can to everyone all the time

6. Free surf a lot more

7. Call my dad at least once a week