Too many of us live overwhelmed—suffocated by work, personal conflicts, the intrusion of technology and media. Trying to do everything, we end up stressed about almost anything. We check our voice mail at midnight, our e-mail at dawn, and spend the time in between bouncing from website to website, viral video to viral video. Perpetually exhausted, we make bad decisions at work, at home, on the playing field, and behind the wheel. We get flabby because we decide we don’t have the time to take care of ourselves, a decision ratified by the fact that those “extra” hours are filled with e-mailing, doing reports, attending meetings, updating systems to stay current, repairing what’s broken. We’re constantly trying to quit one habit just to start another. We say the wrong things to people we love, and love the wrong things because expediency and proximity make it easier to embrace what’s passing right in front of us. We make excuses about making excuses, but we still can’t seem to stop the avalanche. All of this has a significant economic cost as “stress and its related co morbid diseases are responsible for a large proportion of disability worldwide.”
It doesn’t have to be that way. The surfers, fishers, poets, artists, and children who know that being in, on, under, or near water makes your life better. Time to dive in. – – Wallace J. Nichols
“The thing about the ritual morning plunge, the entry into water that provides the small existential moment, is its total privacy. Swimming is between me and the water, nothing else. The moment the water encloses me, I am, gratefully, alone.” – John Jerome
Please enjoy this depiction of the historical run of swell that took place on the East Coast during September 2017.
Head to wavesforwater.org to help those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Florida.
Water Cinematograpy by Etan Blatt
Surfing from: TJ Gumiela, Alex Fawess, Leif Engstrom, Travis Beckman, Jeff Anthony, and Hunter Rainis
Jet Ski Operations by Will and Cliff Skudin
Additional Land Images Courtesy of Jason Belsky
Editing by Etan Blatt for EBDM
Visit Etanblatt.com
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