Until one is committed there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is
one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills
countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issue from the decision,
raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents
and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
--Goethe's Faust
Long ago, great bearded men from across the ocean set out in search of a new world. They sailed in ships rigged with square sails, and they wore helmets. They drank dark, heavy drink, and they lived each day as if it were their last. Many of them lost their lives to the marching swells of the grey, north Atlantic. They died quietly, with pride and raw bravado. The ones who made it across the sea were rewarded with fresh potatoes, sweet berries, and hot moose meat. They found a rugged coast, green with tall pines, and thick mosses. They did not come in search of gold or women, nor did they come to start anew and raise families, instead...they came because of a voice.
Deep within us--within us all--there is a voice which calls out from time to time. We feel it in our chests, in our very guts. It is the voice of adventure, the call of the wild. Some of us can hear this voice, but have not the zeal to follow it; others hear only a faint murmur of the voice, for it is buried too deeply in their bones--hushed away by fear and doubt. The voice is not nice; it does not make life easy--it will never lead us to the "easy way out." The voice does not tolerate mediocrity, or a stagnant, safe way of life.
This fall, much like their old Norse ancestors, The Herron brothers began to hear a murmuring from somewhere within themselves—a swell was coming. Generated by a fast moving storm this new monster swell was slowly making its way northward across the Atlantic Ocean and as the brothers began to sense the first tiny ripples of energy sent from this grand storm, the murmuring they heard at once grew louder. Soon the murmuring was a steady call, then a holler, then a scream. "Go north," said a voice to the brothers, "go up to the rugged coast, to the home of the grey seal and the cold bull kelp. Go beyond the land of Norumbega. Go...and you will be rewarded."
This caused a great dilemma for the brothers for there was suddenly many paths laid out before them, yet only one would lead them to their true destinies. The brothers knew that if they went south they would find big warm tubular swells reaching out over soft sandy shores. They also knew that to head south would be cheap and fast, for they would not have far to go, and most importantly, they knew their way. But, there in lies the root of why they could not take that path. It would be easy.
And so the brothers chose to head north. They knew there would be many hardships this way; 20 hour drives through rain and snow, cold air temperatures, and even colder oceans—rock and reef ocean bottoms, moose, bears, wolves, seals, and even sharks, to mention a few, but they knew they must not take the easy path, they knew they would not be able to ignore that feeling in their chests. And so they put their heads down and blindly followed that ancient voice of adventure against everything but their wills.
Some shots from the road heading north. The colors of fall stood out vividly against a fresh dusting of snow dropped from the huge storm bands that we followed up the coast.
Our quiver took up the whole back of the car--everything was thrown in with no regard for organization, we just wanted it all to fit. Subsequently we stopped at the border coming back into the states for a "visit," at 2:00am, after driving for about 10 hours after surfing for about three, all red eyed both of us, the patrol on duty thought they scored. I can only imagine the looks on their faces when they pulled up the back door for a quick search.
