I'm Thankful for Armpit Rashes
The other night, following a more traditional prayer and list of gratitudes before Thanksgiving dinner, I took a moment to myself to think about my surfing gratitudes. My list might surprise you. It’s the little things. Keep in mind this list was fueled by a couple-too-many glasses of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but I think it’s authentic. Only a surfer knows the feeling, etc. Here we go:
My surfing gratitudes:
-The smell of resin
-Armpit rashes
-Getting wax on the sleeve of every shirt I own
-Neck tan lines
-Shorebreak
-No-look paddle-outs
-Dark dawn patrol drives with the heater on and windows down
-VHS surf videos
- Appreciating Pennywise
-Groms
-Bailing (nothing is more funny and serious at the same time)
-Owning guns you’ll never ride
-Burying a wetsuit in hot sand in an attempt to dry it quicker
-Old surf magazine captions
-Being the only guy out
-Surf buddies
-Glassers
Shark banter
-Surfing when it’s polluted
-Chatter about the temperature of the water
-Being an (uncertified) local meteorologist
-Using the word bathymetry more than necessary
-Knowing guys named Archy and Stingray
-Going about your day knowing you “surfed”
-Duckdiving
-Owning an annual State Park pass
-Complaining about Surfline (while using their services several times a day)
What do you got? Send ‘em through to (hello@inherentbummer.com), there’s plenty to be thankful for. We’re surfers. It’s the best.—Travis Ferré
[Above artwork: Thanksgiving, Joseph Ferdinand Kepler, 1883]
