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It felt good actually. No surf outlet presently, and too much bs to deal with on several different fronts. When it rains it pours. But I’m not actually upset, I wasn’t even then really, when I broke the board. That was controlled demolition. Totally controlled. It was a good day overall. Got a great workout. Meat restocked. Dad chilling finally. Saw a ton of friends out during my ride, all shakahs all around. Talked to several admirers. And, I may finally be able to surf my spots tomorrow too!!

@ I bet it did! And you were 😡 board hit you right in the crack. Glad you had a great day.

Sketchy

You too! Keep on keeping on. It’s been a good one for me. I feel like I’m almost right where I’ve always wanted to be in life, but maybe if I could do it all again, I’d have liked to arrive here 15 years ago and under different circumstances. But it is what it is. Didn’t realize we can dream it all up ourselves, and that it’s just a matter of time. As a younger man I didn’t understand how time and progress work at a speed relative to your grit, determination, consistency, and true desire for an outcome. When I was younger, the world was too new and I believed I was supposed to, and had to, see and do it all. In retrospect, I feel that that’s sadly very chick like in our present form of conception. Maybe it was almost sorta Columbus or Darwin’esc once upon a time…or even Luke Skywalker’esc if we go back to the conception of things around the time of our generation’s inception. But, I’m sure this duality has always existed despite how it is presently being received and portrayed. Now it’s just a battle between body and mind and the inevitability of time imposing its gravity upon us. For me, delineations like new year mean nothing because my goals are the same and only relative to my present state of existence. What’s the expression about a rolling stone?

@mikeuptegrove I think we have been being prepared for these moments of peace. It is in our 40s that we start to true understand and appreciate who we are. Gravity will not win. New Year is great but I am grateful for every new day. I will keep walking with the Lord. That is my rock.

@ true that!

Sure is!

Brah, sorry to hear that. There’s things in life that definitely weigh us down. I think you’re right about faith, that’s what we all need to ultimately prevail. I never ask God for a thing, I thank him for everything I have, even the bad these days. Then I tell myself, God helps those whom help themselves, and I flip the script, change the narrative to favor any outcome as a positive. If I get injured, it’s a blessing to have a day or two off, something like that. Because I struggle when I can’t do what I want. Seems trivial compared to the kind of things you’re describing, but if you’ve asked God for strength, maybe he’s seeing if you’ll lift the weights he’s giving you. God helps those whom help themselves. Best thing I ever did was quit drinking. I had used it as an on and off again crutch to help me forget some of the realities I once lived. But that ultimately just makes everything in life worse to deal with. Force yourself to do what you know you need to do, because no one else will. Then just do it over and over and don’t look back. Merry Xmas Eve.

@mikeuptegrove Amen! I agree 100%. I've been writing these sermons for many years and only recently just started sharing them with my friends and family. Anyway, I wrote one recently that resembles your response. I would never condone my bad choices. However, I do believe that sometimes God throws us in the fire just to be the one to pull us back out. To save us. Metaphorically speaking. And while I know the right thing to do, I sometimes feel obligated to do the bad while God is working me closer to Him. Does that make sense? I'm trying to say this in a way that doesn't sound blasphemous but also isn't the length of a book. But truth be told, God is sovereign. He controls all. He will work through the good and bad together. Yin and yang. Even when I was battling cancer, I believed it was God showing me how Job felt. It was earthmoving. Part of why I like surfing is because it is the place where we go to find the ultimate balance, where God splits land and water. How wild is it to find balance where those forces meet? Not trying to sound like a hippie. But my trials reawaken me and opened my eyes when they started to close. You're a solid dude. Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for always saying positive stuff back. Sometimes, people like us need to have these conversations as they are part of the story. Like minds, internet friends for sure. Be easy~ I'm always here if you ever need an ear back. 🤙

Ha. Yeah, I picked that up a couple trips back at the T&C store on Oahu. They have sales and I snag all the $8 shirts normally, but this hoodie caught my eye; had the OG sorta Nintendo colors for the logo. As a kid I freaking loved T&C and all the cartoon graphics they had. I’d make my Dad go to Sears when I was in the 1st and 2nd grade so I could look at that shirts with Thrilla Gorilla. And I also liked Rusty. I had a Rusty, “friendship”, 😂 bracelet that was turquoise and hot pink with a Rusty logo on it. Yeah, Rusty still going!! Their biggest rep I’d say is this kid named Zeke from SD that has a TH-cam channel called OTC (off the chain), I think. He’s sponsored by them and has all this old school Rusty retro remake gear. Today’s session was short, just trying to land one of each from my general bag of tricks. I like to do a handful of certain tricks every time just so I don’t lose them. But it’s been hard lately just holding onto those because I’m skating less. Surf surf surf, and dealing with the injuries from that, not trying to compound issues to retard my surfing more than what’s normal. I watched your last video board setup. I’m still banned from commenting independently for being a bad boy on TH-cam. The nerds have me on comment timeout. But I can respond, and only on my page it appears!

Yeah, it’s been a minute. Been dealing with a hip issues from surf, and my back locked up and I micro tore the crap out of it trying to unlock it. Then I was having little injuries from surfing one after the next. I almost gave up on skating entirely. Today was day two, so my confidence grew some. Still not where I was however at beginning of year. But my surfing is getting a lot better. Can’t have it all.

@mikeuptegrove we can never give up on it, just adapt it to how we are feeling. 🙏

@@AdventuresInSkateboardingyeah, I sorta came to that realization the other day, that it’s gonna have to be according to how I feel. Sadly. I say sadly because I don’t want to lose ground. It took me so long just to regain just a fraction of the tricks I used to have in my arsenal as consistent tricks. I wish I had a ledge to grind, I’d have at least 5 or 6 more trucks to add to every session easily that I feel wouldn’t take me really any time at all to feel comfortable doing again…they were so ingrained! Flip tricks however, no matter how long you do them, no matter how many you’ve landed, in various ways, always can become elusive.

Thanks 💯. I feel good, feel comfortable, but even with that said, after 3 months of no skating and a half dozen minor surf injuries, it was a slow session. Probably a confidence issue to some degree. Today was day two and I got through most of my, “standards”…the bare minimum basics I like to make sure I have.

Me too! Tanaka fixed my neck and hip! Thank Goodness he had hours Sunday.

That’s so rad!! Good practice. U need to do better, but I don’t know exactly what that means. I know that I never ask but always thank, and try to be clear. And often, the voice that talks back makes me clarify things or come up with better excuses for the time being…which I’m not certain is good, but at least it’s a start and attempt to better understand what’s at play in my life and why. I think we all owe ourselves that much in the same regard that God helps those whom help themselves. We are the doctors and healers of our souls, minds, and bodies, in this realm in this life.

@@mikeuptegrove agree on always giving thanks and not asks. That is where I struggle with the church. I don't want to go to church for me, I want to go to church and celebrate the awesomeness of God. But the churches seem to make it negative at some point about the need for Jesus. I just want to thank him, I don't want to ask for anything. Because I trust him already. I know there is a plan for my life and it is good and already in motion. So I just try and give thanks. Seek his face and you can never go wrong. Keep his word and it will guide you. Trust his ways are better than our ways. 🙏

@ 🙌

I’ve come to realize that prayer isn’t asking for anything. You don’t ask for anything. Prayer is saying thank you for what you have. We take for granted what we have, and we are never caught up in recognizing, and expressing, our thanks for everything we have. And most don’t even know they need to say thanks, let alone recognize that they have been given beautiful things…like air to breathe!

@@mikeuptegroveNailed it ❤

I’m privileged for being grateful, and being grateful is nonsense, because YOU have cancer? Who’s to blame for your cancer? Your parents? You? A pharmaceutical company that tricked you? Who? I’m curious, enlighten us all? And since being grateful is nonsense because YOU have cancer, should we all be miserable and get cancer too? Would that make you happy?

We are all dying (not to be insensitive to your condition) but it’s the only part of life that is guaranteed. Everyone’s days are numbered. How long you live isn’t the point, it’s how you chose to experience each moment. There are things in life we don’t get to choose. But, Perception is what we have the freedom to choose. Will you choose victimhood? Will you choose bitterness and anger? Will you take it out on others? Will you take your blessings for granted? Or will you look for blessings, even if you have to look hard? Every small thing you can be grateful for adds to the momentum of gratitude. (And I am talking EVERY small thing; a flushing toilet, hot water out of the tap, a warm blanket, the fact you can see, or hear, and have people that love you) And soon you become grateful for everything, even your cancer, if you could imagine that. I hope one day very soon you understand what I am talking about. That is my hope for you. “For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” ~Matthew 13:12 And please take some advice from a stranger; don’t be so quick to assume things about people you don’t know. You don’t know Mike or where he’s been or what kind of pain he has experienced in life, or what that kind of pain does to most people. (I am incredibly impressed by him, quite honestly.) What you see in his video is the result of his determination and hard work to be the best version of himself that he can possibly be. And that’s a daily task which happens in every moment with countless choices of how he chooses to see things and how he chooses to behave. I’ll ask you, who are you going to choose to be? P.S. God loves you as much as he loves Mike, so where is this “privilege” coming from?

Everyone’s days are numbered, (not to be insensitive to your condition), but it’s the only part of life that is guaranteed. How long you live isn’t the point, it’s how you chose to experience each moment. There are things in life we don’t get to choose. But, Perception is what we have the freedom to choose. Will you choose victimhood? Will you choose bitterness and anger? Will you take it out on others? Will you take your blessings for granted? Or will you look for blessings, even if you have to look hard? Every small thing you can be grateful for adds to the momentum of gratitude. (And I am talking EVERY small thing; a flushing toilet, hot water out of the tap, a warm blanket, the fact you can see, or hear, and have people that love you) And soon you become grateful for everything, even your cancer, if you could imagine that. I hope one day, very soon, you understand what I am talking about. That is my hope for you. “For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” Matthew 13:12 And please take some advice from a stranger; don’t be so quick to assume things about people you don’t know. You don’t know Mike, or what he’s been through, or what kind of pain he has experienced in life, or how severely he has been tested. What you see in his video is the result of his determination and hard work to be the best version of himself that he can possibly be. And that’s a daily task which happens in every moment with countless choices of how he chooses to see things and how he chooses to behave. Who are you choosing to be? P.S. We are all equally loved by God, so where is this “privilege” coming from?

Just wanted to see if they also delete this comment…

I hear that. I grew up skating, always wanted to be a surfer, got into surfing around 19ish, gave it a decent go, never got as good as I thought I’d be at it from skating, life took over, and I rarely surfed. Then I got the opportunity to skate again after 25 years of zero skating and took that process up slowly, and I also took the same opportunity to put the work in surfing to maybe achieve the goals I had for myself as a future surfer when I formulated that dream around 17. Presently it’s the greatest joy in my life along with having a good relationship with my family. Nothing I love to do better than surfing though…I just feel in track when I start a day with a surf.

:(

🤙🤙

Well stated. I’m sure of it.

Well said.

I am missing it. Before I was ever a surfer, I was a snowboard fanatic. Loved it. Got a job at a resort straight out of high school to ride. Rode like 90 plus consecutive days that season. There was this gurl I was deeply in love with that sorta ruined snowboarding for me, pulled me away from it like she did a few different things, several times, in life. Standard story of man sorta stuff. I ended up blowing out my ACL because of her essentially, being where I shouldn’t have been; trying to keep enemies close I suppose. My fault for being young and dumb and not understanding women…but after the knee, I quit snowboarding and skating and immediately moved to the tropics…figured I needed a new life as far away as possible. I rode two days in the Andes as a college student, and I think just two or so days in Tahoe. So I rode like 4 times, maybe 5, in 25 years, on my high school equipment. Each time though I felt like I was regaining a piece of myself momentarily, if that makes sense…but it wasn’t my life anymore so I just didn’t invest in that feeling any. This trip was different though. My life is probably somewhere to halfway over now. God has given me some time left with regard to my body, be it genetics, diet, or making primarily good choices over the years, so I’m not gonna squander that if I can afford not to. Surfing is a way better retirement plan, but I’m gonna try to make any travel I do in the future revolve around snowboarding if I can, to get some time up in the mountains and use some skills I cultivated out of a deep love and passion as a kid, now, while I still am here and able. I missed the other train in life, only takes one gurl who lies a lot to put a man off course. But that’s life, and so, at this point, and this age, I am finally, “unburdened by what has been”! 😂😂 As us boys used to say in high school: F B’s. MGTOW.

I’m personally fine. I’ve had all the experiences, plus some, that any young man should. I just watch the world now, and pray for these young guys, cause the world ain’t how I remember it, and the rules of engagement aren’t even distinguishable, and if these young guys try or don’t try, they’re not seeing society do them fairly. I think personally it’s a disgrace. I had all the opportunities and chances in a normal world, and maybe I still got it all wrong. I don’t know. But they don’t even get that now: a chance to mess up in a normal world.

Not a worry. It’s not an important message. The music is nicer anyways.

@mikeuptegrove hey man don't put yourself down like that, even if whatever you said was worthless to you, someone may find meaning in it. Something I've learned over the years is that you never know who your words may help

@ that’s right. Never know. That’s why I said them in this instance. I wonder why you can’t hear them, I can perfectly, and they seem clear on other devices too. What are you watching on?

@@mikeuptegrove the issue is you know what your saying, I don't. So trying to decipher what you're saying while the music is going is hard

@ yeah, I get that. But can’t figure out why it’s not a problem on my end on any devices. It’s clear on all my devices and on my friends devices too. What device are you using?