WSJ#002 - JACK VENTURA
Welcome to the Wave Sliders Journal, Entry 02.
On hyped swells, the voice inside my head, nostalgia, and being in the moment.
It’s nighttime. Walking to my van. My Mind Shuffles through thoughts: Do I have everything packed, everything ready to go? The anticipating swell swimming in my mind. Anticipation about what's to come, feeling strong and ready to flow with nature on a greater scale once again… Surfing has become a daily occurrence. East coast, & west coast, the waves have been plentiful the past few months. The feeling of being out of shape has been diminished and readiness is front of mind. Until the mind starts playing tricks and it all comes crashing down. These are the moments of resilience and strength; when fear and the unknown set in, but we continue to flow. These are the moments that make for a fulfilled life. I get into to my van, turn on the radio and the Surfline report of the next day begins to play - the speakers give their characteristic FM transmitter crackle as the report plays - “biggest swell recorded in the past 15 years” “XXL advisory” Feeling strong and confident the voice in my head begins to talk me out of what I know to be true. I battle that voice by being present, removing myself from the voice, and welcoming it with a smile, “Thank you for the warning I say.” My mind wanders more, I detach — the dark sky looms as the rain hits my windshield, an odometer reading +250,000 memorable miles, and me sitting in the drivers seat witnessing the nerves trying to be unattached, an old thrifted sweater keeping me warm while the van heats up and a well loved beanie to assist. The surf forecast being read over the radio, it all feels right. Moments like this that force perspective help to ease that doubtful inner voice. I find this to be an invaluable practice in my life; bringing awareness to these micro-calibrations and shifts in order to simply be present.
As the nights events unfold before me a quote from Seneca comes to mind: “They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn.” All that I would have missed in the night- the sweater, and the rain, and the crackle of the radio - had I been in fear of the dawn. Or, had I let the fear of the dawn consume me. Fear and feeling itis necessary and welcomed but all things come to pass.
As I scrawl these thoughts across the page, pulled almost directly from my personal journal, I reflect on how this idea of recognizing and holding reverence for small moments is threaded throughout the Faro brand. Simplicity in our minimalist style with designs that enliven you to step fully into the present moment and experience the raw beauty of the world around you.
Enjoy the glide through it all…
-Jack Ventura
What We're Stoked On...
...In the Community
We're stoked about all of the footage that has been coming out of the past run of swells we have been having here on the West Coast! What I used to get myself pumped up for this last run was a little throw back clip from One California Day, the Tom Curren Sandspit part!
...In Thoughts & Quotes
“They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn”.-Seneca
...In the Faro Workshop
We recently updated the fabric we use for our board bags, a deeper dive into this coming soon, but all of the fabric for our board bags is now made out of ocean-found plastics! What we are really into is that all of the found plastics are pulled out of the ocean in Indonesia. Click here to check out the new bags, new colors, and new fabrics!
