If you know me, or have read this blog often, you may know that I love surfing. Really love it. I get up at strange hours to watch contests across the world, I stop everything if they call The Eddie, I have 3 boards in the house even though I live in Louisiana. It’s the sport that makes me hold my breath.

So when I saw this ad I knew I should love it. I did. It made me cry the first time I saw it (especially when it mentions Kelly). Then I hated it, I cringed, I didn’t like that Samsung had tried to make a commercial out of something so genuine, to make an apple style ad and try and pretend it’s their own. The words are beautiful, but the sentiment feels fake.

And in the end I love that one minute and 35 seconds of film can make me so conflicted, I love that as a human being this affects me. It reminds me why I do what I do.

Thank you to everyone.
Thank you to friends, first sponsors and groupies.
To all the Daniels, the Gustavos and the Jurgens.
To 4-degree waters. To flat days.
To bad boards, cheap boards, kind of boards.
Thank you to Kelly, for making it look too damn easy.
Thank you to the second title.
To 3am. 4am. 5am.
Thank you to the surf fascists and the locals only.
To the surf babes.
To the wild cards.
To those we miss.
Thank you to the haters, the bullies and the trolls.
Thank you to hashtag go Medina, hashtag **** Medina.
To pain.
To paradise.
To heaven, to hell, and everything in between.
Thank you to the pessimists, the non-believers, the party crashers.
To those who push you up or bring you down, thank you all.
Without You, I’m Nothing.