I was standing in the medical tent at the Hurley Pro when a spectator on the beach approached me. I watched Thomas point me out to him, so I leaned over the railing to meet the guy.
Turns out he's a physical therapist and he and his buddies were discussing working on the Tour. "We were just wondering what it takes to get this gig." he said. He and his friends had the misguided fantasy that the medical staff was this well-compensated group of practitioners who traveled to all the contest sites around the world to work with the top 45 surfers in the world.
As with most things in life, things are not always how they appear. He simply could not believe that all of us volunteered our time. There is no compensation. There is no paid travel to exotic locations. We all do it merely for the love of helping athletes perform better. Period.
What a wonderful reminder this was for me! We can never really know another persons story. How it feels to be them. So now when I catch myself thinking, "Wow, that person has such a great life." I give pause. Do they really? Would I want to switch places with them? I have no idea what challenges they face, how much stress they may be under, etc. All I can see is the picture they present and the story my imagination creates about them!
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