CIELO
Words by Devon DeMint (@mermaidsightings // taleofamermaid.com)
Photos and video by Scott DeMint (@scottdemintphotogpraphy)
This winter was hard. Was it for you? Did you get good waves? Did you have big, life-shifting moments? Even if you were in Southern California it was really wintery. The weight of the cold months weighed on me like the snow itself. The deep, heavy puddles didn’t empty until just recently.
I had a 4th kid. Then one of my kids had a seizure, one got diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, another had dramatic separation anxiety. Drip, drop.… heaviness. And then also the actual rain that came and came.
Something true I realized about parenthood lately is that the squeaky wheel does get the grease. Each of my kids had their turn and when it wasn’t their turn, I wondered what they were subconsciously storing away to tell their therapists. Life is problematic by nature, but I’m trying not to be the cause of those problems for my kids.
There wasn’t really a Spring season around here. Emotionally for me and then, also, actually. “May Gray”, "June Gloom”, a fog that wouldn’t clear. Until, at last, it did.
Mexico. A California neighbor always ready with a cup of sugar or milk when you need one. With waves, sun and tacos.
As surfers we rely on the ocean for more than just exercise. For me, it’s a church. I mean, there’s whales in this temple. I’ve never been in a holier place. If you’re shaking your butt in a thong for Instagram before paddling out, I really think you’re missing the point.
We took our family to Mexico after this very long winter. To Punta Mita, where we actually scored. Of course, I only had an hour here or there, but that was enough. An elixir of life. I got the chance to be the squeaky wheel and I healed, one wave after another.
Devon DeMint
Tale of a Mermaid
Also in Bing Surfboards Blog
THE DESTINATION IS THE DESTINATION
THE BOARDROOM 2023 COMPETITOR INTERVIEWS
Name, hometown, and surfboard brand.
Josh Peterson, hometown Virginia Beach (born) Haleiwa (currently living), and my brand is Peterson Surfcraft.
When and where did you start surfing? Describe your first surfboard.
I started surfing when I was about 15 in Virginia Beach, and my first board was an old funboard from WRV that was about 7’6” and had glass on thrusters and an insane airbrush.
