Ozzie Ausband

Early

The alarm on my cell phone screeches shrilly. 4am. I claw at the nightstand beside the bed; knocking my phone onto the floor with a clatter. Then I recalled something. I felt a tremble earlier in the night. It woke me up yet I was unsure precisely what it was. I had gone back to sleep. Was it an earthquake? After all, we live along the fault line. Hmmm…questions. The heater clicked over and I felt comforted by it. Somewhere, a car alarm chirps several times & a dog barks annoyingly in response. Ugh! Mornings. I go through my routine & get myself moving. With Carl Kassell of NPR on the radio, coffee, and the morning view of ‘Ridiculous’ outside my window…I have little to complain about today. Sitting at the breakfast bar that overlooks the pool, I watch the morning bleed across the world as I complete my gratitude list for the day. I am grateful to be sober & not a trainwreck. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for the United States & my fucking freedom to be a pool skater….or whatever else I want to be. I am grateful for pool pals and I am totally stoked on skateboarding! In closing, I am grateful to Al Partenan because he rips lipslides like this; leading by example. Thank you- MRZ for the image & inspiration. Put the TV remote down & go Skate!-Ozzie