Josh has broken his board. 

It’s a bummer when it happens, but I suppose can be taken as a fantastic and inspirational lesson due to his intensity and talent surfing. He works so hard at it, rain or shine. He’s been injured badly but never quit. And he’s fought a late start in the game to nevertheless become one of the top surfers Trinidad has to offer. 

Oh I know, I know… you think I sound like a complete and utter nauseating goon. Blegh! But I promise, you’ll see it, too! Just wait until I post a video. 

Anyway, the board is broken. But, hopefully without sounding too cheesy, it stands as a monument to his spirit. Something that I think we can all take from and relate to.

In fact, as I type this, I am looking down at my own flaring-up, very colourful, and scarred up foot with a big ol’ smile because I am lucky enough to walk, or be wheeled, around with a very personal monument to my spirit at all times too. My very own ‘broken board’, shall we say… 

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS/RSD) is a pain in the ass, no doubt! But by carrying my own ‘broken board’ through my wounds, I carry my ‘monument’ or ‘trophy’, personally. 

And how comforting is it to constantly carry an award(s) reminding you of how far you’ve come and how strong you are? I find that for me at least, having that trophy on me at all times is a constant reminder of how amazingly far I’ve come through my own passion to get better, my intensity, and my strength. That way, it’s easy to step into the future.

Look down at your wounds - invisible or not - and smile. Check on your broken boards and see that you’ve won a few awards already. 

“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - A.A. Milne, “Winnie-the-Pooh”