SURFING SOAPBOX: Taking in the river view

I’m here walking along the Grand River in Grand Haven, Mich. It’s 10:36 a.m. with a cold breeze blowing in off of the river, and a bank of fog is sitting just a bit farther out. The smoke bellows from atop an old factory just to the north with no one in sight, except for the little birdies flying in circles around me and the odd salmon that jump periodically as their splashes echo in surround sound.

I feel like I’m reliving a moment in time that has been captured before in an old novel or the movie “A River Runs Through It.” Even though I can’t really remember it. Time is at a standstill, and I am OK with it. Sometimes life at home seems to be going so fast — too fast for that matter.

Always rushing. Cell phones. Text messages. E-mail.

I love the moments when I can just get away and take it all in. Putting on my headphones and just writing. Looking around and contemplating all that is around.

Flying here was nothing short of amazing — flying over the snow-covered Colorado Rockies on a sunny day looked almost too amazing to be real. The Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River — I love the opportunities in life of seeing new things while traveling to new places. Especially when you’re lucky enough to call Laguna Beach your home.

The other day, I was supporting a beach clean-up and fundraiser for the Michigan chapter of Surfrider while signing posters for the kids.

Until then I think I’ll just keep walking along the Grand River singing “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah.”

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. His websites include AlohaSchoolofSurfing and ECOWarrior Surf.com. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com