on a dark side alley in Waikiki, there is an entrance to a parking lot. and right where that green electric charging station is, there use to be a 3×3′ parking booth. it was just big enough for a cash register and a stool. so basically, it was made for one man to stand in there. that man was me. i was 18 at the time working in that little parking booth full time. i finished high school and had no direction in life. college wasn’t even in my mind. so basically, i was lost. i tried to join the Army but that didn’t work out. i tried to join the Air Force but that didn’t work out either. my girlfriend at that time use to sit in my VW bug all day making sure i was a good boy. she even made me sell the only surfboard i had. we would fight, eat hamburgers, and drink x-large cokes every single day. at 18, i thought i had a dream life. haha!!!
BUT then, that’s when my sister started dating Tony Moniz. Tony took me surfing a few times and i was hooked again. i quit my job, enrolled in college, and most importantly, broke up with my girlfriend. i became happy again, i became free again, and i became a surfer again! from that time on, i lived in Japan, learned Japanese, did the pro tour there, traveled the world, and met lots of friends that are family to me.
so every time i pass by that parking lot, i tell the story to whoever i’m with at the time. and i always say “if i didn’t start surfing again, i would probably still be sitting in a parking booth somewhere in Waikiki. my girlfriend would still be watching over me, we’d still be eating hamburgers and x-large cokes. so basically, Tony Moniz and surfing saved my life. and if i can help you if you’re stuck with no direction in life, i would love to help you.”
so yeah, i went from rock bottom to living a dream life. and all i needed was a spark to light my fire. and my fire to live life to the fullest is still burning HOT!
