“We’re all equal before a wave. There’s no discrimation. The ocean doesn’t differentiate between the big, the small, the black, the white. It just treats you as the visitor you are no matter who you are. The ocean has been one of the greatest teachers in my life and the things I’ve learned—whether it’s to relax in the chaos or the humility you gain from surviving a close drowning or the joy and confidence you get from a great ride on a wave—they are all constant reminders of how little we are in this world.”
I had the chance to interview big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton recently—for an upcoming story for Live Happy magazine on the therapeutic nature of surfing—and he said this to me. It stood out as a great motto to live by. Whether it's the ocean, the city, the mountains, or somewhere in between, it seems that this same thinking could be true in other habitats as well.