TO FEEL ALIVE

My father is my hero. He has lived such an exciting life with many adventures. He has traveled far and seen incredible things, and there's always a story for him to tell. 

In his teens, my father had to move to a  foreign country a long way from where he grew up. His family were very wealthy and he went to a good private school for boys. He didn't like it at all, and he couldn't relate to the life he and his family were living when he saw the huge contrasts in this new country. He couldn't find happiness in materialism. He had to find it elsewhere. 

"The only time I was truly happy was while surfing. Just me and my good friends, our boards and the waves" my father said to me once. When he talks about surfing, I can see a spark in his eyes. 

When my father was old enough to leave home, he bought a van, took his surfboard with him and set out on the road. He slept in the van and surfed all day. This has always been such an inspiration to me. 

One year ago I traveled to Portugal. I wanted to learn how to surf and walk in my father's footsteps. It was two of the best weeks in my life. I've never met so many cool and happy people. They surfed all day and lived simple. They didn't need much to be truly happy. The whole scene was like taken out of a movie. 


Surfing was hard at the beginning. I kept falling off and I took a few good hits by the ocean. At the end of each day I was really beaten up, but I loved it. It made so much sense doing this. Each day I got a little better, and I was determined to learn. After a week I didn't fall off as easily, I caught some good waves, and I felt alive. 


I get the same feeling when I snowboard, swim or if I'm just out in the nature. I don't need a fancy  home or expensive things to be happy. I just need a bed to sleep in, food to eat, my friends and family and the opportunity to do the things I love that make me feel alive. 


To me, money truly can't buy happiness. 


-E