it was a weird morning because when i woke up, i was expecting heavy rain. instead, it was a pretty amazing sunrise. dark, but unique. check out the sun rays beaming down on the ocean. cool!
diamond head looked really fun and clean. but i knew there was somewhere else better. i picked up Abe-san and Yuto-kun and we headed to surf a spot where not too many people were around. 3 surfers on the right, 3 surfers on the left, and just us in the middle. long wave after long wave. Abe-san hasn’t surfed for 3 years so he was enjoying himself. as for Yuta-kun, he tried to surf waikiki yesterday but couldn’t stand up. today, his dream came true. he surfed every wave perfectly!
then we went to have an italian lunch. this is where our conversation got very interesting. Abe-san and his family are from Ishinomaki. they lost their house from the tsunami and had to sleep in their car. no food for 3 days and the only thing keeping them warm was their dog. Abe-san has been surfing for 20 years but hasn’t since the tsunami. Abe-san’s lovely wife is from Kitakami. she attended the same kitakami elementary school that was demolished and lost a lot of its kids to the tsunami. her mother is living in the temporary housing right above the We Are One Market. OMG, i was so surprised! this family is survivors. Abe-san lost his car, his house, and almost everything. his surfboard survived. we had such a great talk and i really respect this family. i felt such a close connection from going to ishinomaki 7 times and know all the places they were talking about.
after i dropped the Abe-san family off at their hotel, i was thinking of all the things that i seen with my own eyes in ishinomaki. there is still a pretty deep scar in my heart, but days like today are helping it heal. a wonderful family moving forward, surfers unite, and beautiful smiles again. after march 11th, my life has changed for the better. and as i see more happiness from the people who went through so much, i will appreciate life even more. today was just one of those days that made me feel like i have a dream life. it’s the experiences and smiles that make my life so dam good! i’ll be sleeping with a big smile on my face tonight.
To the Abe-san family,
Thank you for a wonderful day.
Thank you for all the stories.
Thank you for your strength.
And thank you for surfing with me.
Keep on moving forward, and Keep on Surfing!
Aloha
