A letter to a friend...

Hellooooo Outdoor Asian family and fraaaands!

Blogs are cool and all, but it's no match to a hand-written letter (however terrible your handwriting may be 😏😏😏

For today's very short blog piece, we bring to you a digitized version of a letter that was written by yours truly and given to a good friend after the tragic passing of a loved one.

It seems that many of us are experiencing life transitions, as we prepare for the warmer months - and a chance at life-as-we-used-to-know-it. To wherever and whatever transition in life you may be, this letter is also for you.

So, when was the last time you wrote a letter?

✍🏽📓✉️📬📮 💌

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A Calm Evening at Short Sands Beach, Oregon

Dear Mr. Patel (name changed)

In surfing, there are two types of waves. Those that already are foamy and white, we call whitewater. Those that are unbroken, we call them green waves. To get to the pure green waves, a surfer must first paddle through the turbulence and uncertainty of the whitewater.

Earlier today, I was paddling my way through the whitewater of Waikiki, in Hawaii. Here, the surf is gentle and kind, unlike my home in Oregon where the waves seem relentless – pounding with great numbing energy any surfer that dares the winter surf. It takes so much effort to get past the whitewater and into the green waves that some days, I bow my head to Mother Nature and return to the beach.

However, there’s a special moment when I do get past the Oregon winter whitewater. The final wave that I paddle over to get to the green waves – it’s unlike any other.

It lifts you up 6 feet and just as you think it’s going to break on you, the wave passes, showering your face with bright droplets of emerald-green Pacific saltwater. The crashing sound, now behind you, reminds you of the journey you just completed.

I feel as though coming to Hawaii is like cresting that final wave to get to the calm, green waves. Perhaps this sentiment is the same for you. I unfortunately never met your wife, but from your stories, I can tell she was an incredible person, full of the same great energy that the Pacific waves hold. I am grateful to have met her husband, who also carries that spark, who continues to light that spark in those around him.

Cheers, to wherever the waves may carry us next, Sincerely, Jay