If you’re not having fun, what are you doing wrong? How can you change that? I wasn’t having fun at the end of my Wall Street days, so I built a rum distillery. I wasn’t having fun working for the company that acquired Owney’s, so I started a soda company. I’m not saying all day every day is fun. But it’s oh so pivotal to have pockets of fun and find moments of joy in every day and to notice them and drink them in.  Life is too short.

My community is a very small village that is known for its clear waters, surfer-friendly waves and the shore's soft, powder-white sands. But even more prominently, Boston Beach is renowned for its delicious Jamaican eats. This beach claims to be the birthplace of jerk seasoning. So come hungry and ready to taste-test at nearby eateries, which feature jerk foods. The community means a lot to  me. Working and acting together, building friendships along with being united is vital to how we operate in the world.

Surfing again has reconnected me to a part of myself I thought was lost. Just sitting out there on the board, legs dangling, hand pushing through the surf, listening to the sounds of the ocean I felt whole again.

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.

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.

I feel a sense of unity with nature. It's Zen for me. 

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,

New York City peaceful protest in the form of the ancient practice of the Paddle Out.