Catch a Wave

Catch a Wave

“The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.”

Phil Edwards

When I was a kid, the “Slip ‘N Slide” was one of our favorite neighborhood activities. Every kid on our block joined in as we endlessly threw ourselves down the slide for the short yet exhilarating ride.

Maybe that’s why we all loved body surfing so much. Looking back, it seemed a natural progression for us and our fellow landlocked friends. That is, when we could talk someone’s mom into taking us to Zuma for the afternoon during the summer.

When I got married and had my own kids, I noticed that our then-five-year-old, John, seemed to have the same thing in mind when he spied the long hallway that ran through the center of our new house. There were no rugs yet, just hardwood floors.

And it wasn’t long before John realized that “hall surfing” made a great indoor Slip ‘N Slide. He kept trying to find out what item would allow him to slide the farthest. Cardboard was too grabby, and the blankets were too heavy. Pillows seemed just right, and boy, did he have fun flinging himself down the hall.

But just like body surfing, sooner or later, you’re going to wipeout and face-plant in the sand, or in this case, the hardwood floor.

I don’t recall him crying, but we noticed his two front teeth changing color over the next couple of weeks… and then they fell out.

Thankfully, they were his baby teeth, giving way just a bit early. So, he had something new to wish for come Christmas, and in the meantime, he went back to the waves.

-Hank