Once Brock was turned over to the emergency team
and it was established that he would be okay, Laird grabbed
another teammate and a new jet ski and marched back out
into the monumental surf. He was not fearful. He got back
on the horse (or jet ski in this case) and caught some of
the best waves of his life. By taking the worst wipeout of
his life he was now better equipped than those other pro-
fessionals who had been watching unscathed from the
parking lot.
HUMBLING 2008
2008 has been a year filled with surprises, volatility, dis-
appointment, unfulfilled expectations and cyclic shock
waves. As a new year dawns, I think it is important that
we take a deep breath, relax and focus on the ingredients
that are key to our continued survival. We must get back
on the horse.
My boys share Laird’s love of surfing and in order
to convince them to spend time with Dad, it requires
Christmas vacations that involve waves. Being in the ocean
watching the never-ending changes in the sea allows me
to reflect on the similarity of the survival tools needed in
these chaotic times.
The first great lesson is that of humility. No matter
how good you are, when arrogance raises its ugly head,
Mother Nature will put you back into your box. Mastery
of a wave involves being attuned to all the circumstances
surrounding you. It is not about domination—it is actu-
ally about submission. The currents, the riptides, the swell,
the wind, the reefs, the temperature, the crowds, the shapes
are changing every second. The quest, then, is not to stabi-
lize the wave and make each one exactly alike and pre-
DONALD J. TRUMP