Wake Up Call (#027)
My dawn patrol partner calls me at 5am to wake me up.
We have a deal, we both wake try and wake up around 4, and whoever gets up first calls the other one. Usually it’s me, sometimes him, and on occasion neither of us get up.
It’s easier for me to get up than it is for him. I generally get 5-6 hours of sleep a night where he only gets 2-3, and sometimes none at all. I think this is a pretty common thing for the Japanese. They work around the clock, and are obligated to drink with clients and co-workers at night. To whose end I’m not entirely sure, certainly not their own.
I’ve had many surf teachers, and as someone who is still relatively new to the sport, I’ll take advice from just about anyone. People from grizzled vets, to wiry groms and even a zen master or two. But Shin was my first teacher. I always wanted to get into the sport and he was the only surfer I knew. I practically begged him to take me. After a few months of my nagging he finally broke down.
He was pretty reluctant. And looking back I don’t blame him. Surfing is hard enough to just look after yourself, let alone some kook who has no clue what he’s doing. Especially if it’s crowded and people are salty. Surfing is deceptively stressful, and it’s mostly due to crowds. That’s why secret spots remain secret, and locals enforce the rules with an iron fist. And that’s why surfers are reluctant to take newbees.
But over the years Shin and I have become close surfing mates. We get up at the crack of dawn and hit the water before work. It’s the best way to start your day. Makes it easier to shake off the stessors of in the work place. Also gives you confidence and energy that others feed off of. It’s an overall positive effect on the environment, and if more people started their day with exercise, there would be more happiness in general.
Getting up early is the trick. Going to bed early helps, but who want to do that? Or worse yet, who has the time? We always got some monkey things to take care of, that keep up working until late. If we’re not working we’re unwinding. Just going to bed early isn’t enough for most of us. The real trick to anything is discipline. But that’s such a serious word, that we only tent to apply it to things we don’t want to be doing. That’s why we’re so bad at having fun, and we settle for a night out at the bars(not that there’s anything wrong with a night out).
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