The Wild Journal
The Wild Journal
We need the tonic of wildness….We can never have enough nature. ~ Thoreau
Featuring vibrant interviews, stories, and images with a focus on nature, water, and the wild journey
To build the conditions for people to rest their minds and bodies and to enjoy something as wonderful as surfing and yoga, it’s a beautiful purpose.
Getting older means I don’t want to waste time or energy on things that don’t excite me. I fear missing out on all the adventure and beauty life offers more than trying something new. That’s why I had to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about surf photography from the water.
We feel safe with each other. So when we go out into the water, even though there can be that, you know, attitude when people see these beautiful Afrocentric Black women pop out, we're not as afraid or feeling like we have to prove ourselves anymore. Having that trust, it definitely translates into the water.
I moved out of the city and made my home in Rockaway, craving more of an outdoors lifestyle and the sweet sound of crashing waves. An empty nester, burned out, and emotionally distraught, I’d lost my way.
Life spent on or near the shore just feels different, and the collection of people you encounter is unique.
When I first started noticing couples surfing together, I wanted to know more about how a relationship with the ocean enhances a romantic relationship? I met Mike and Akiyo a few years ago. I’d see them on the beach and surfing solo or with friends and then started spotting them going out together. I could tell immediately a beautiful friendship radiated at the core of their life together.
When I’m having a bad day I go surf. When I’m having a great day I go surf. The ocean never fails to remind me everything is temporary, bad or good. It puts me back into the current moment, to just be, and be okay.
You know that feeling you get when you walk into a room that you’re not supposed to be in and everyone turns to look at you, it’s a little like that. Paddling out on big days I’m often the only female surfer out there at my local jetty.
There is a before and after Rockaway in my life. Same as there is a before and after my cancer. I can’t even imagine how it would be to transition into this new life, if I didn’t have Rockaway,
Rockaway community comes together for memorial paddle out for George Floyd.