by Clay Schmitz | Nov 10, 2016 | adventures, articles
I checked Facebook the morning after the election and it was post after post of voting woes. Then I looked away from my phone and saw my 19 month old son playing happy as can be without a care in the world. He doesn’t care who won the election, he probably doesn’t know there was an election, nor what an election is…
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by Clay Schmitz | Nov 2, 2016 | adventures, surf videos, videos
The most unique surf session I have had yet. Fall always brings gifts, treats, and magical days. After six months of spring and summer onshore winds Ocean Beach smooths over for a beautiful day of fun waves, a pod of dolphins, and a Great White Shark jumping straight up clean out of the water. Maybe most incredible is that the Surfline camera captured the amazing shark jump. I always look forward to fall and appreciate the arrival, and now I suspect this day will stand out in my memories for a long time.
Below is the entire video with narration from this magical fall day.
Length – 02:57
I hope you enjoy…
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by Clay Schmitz | Nov 1, 2016 | adventures, articles
I was shopping for a new propane hose for a camp stove. A big box hardware store was selling it for $25, and at the small local hardware store it was $40.
Both stores were about the same distance out of our way, my first thought was what a ripoff, why pay more for the exact same product? And then I wondered if I really wanted to go to the huge warehouse megastore and feel unknown in some cold uncaring system? In my feeling torn over where to shop the question that came to me is what is that extra $15 supporting? Or what does our world look like when our custom(er) is to support local mom and pop shops or huge international chain megastores…
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by Clay Schmitz | Oct 29, 2016 | adventures, articles
I challenge you to stop watching the news, listening to news radio, or reading news magazines and websites, and NOT feel better. I certainly felt much calmer, relaxed, peaceful, and at ease without that constant stream of negativity conditioning us to believe that this is the dominant way of our world. The proof for me is asking this question: how many people do I know personally that commit violent acts or are violated on a daily basis? I don’t know any people who commit acts of terror, murder, rape, robbery, or battery, and yet if I watch the news I’m told these people are everywhere all around me. And even if our world is this violent how does sitting on the couch watching endless stories about it help…
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by Clay Schmitz | Oct 29, 2016 | adventures, articles
What?!? Sound crazy? Well for me eating food I don’t want to eat and doing workouts I don’t want to do, that’s crazy. I tried for decades to commit to formulaic diets and regimented gym workouts. I stuck it out for months and sometimes as long as a year, and every time I would eventually burnout. I wasted thousands of dollars on unused gym memberships and uneaten supplements, protein powders, and bars.
Why did I fail? Or did I? A lifetime spent doing stuff I don’t want to do sounds more like failure to me. I like to see it as I succeeded at escaping some miserable choices that weren’t really mine, I broke out of Shawshank…
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