This morning I woke up on a deserted beach on the coast of Java. 

My friends and I traveled through the night to get here and it is just beautiful. 

As I sit out in the water waiting for a wave I realize that I am perfectly and completely happy in this moment. I could not wish or want for anything more right now. 

In the water with me surfing are seven Indonesian guys. Three of them are my housemates, who I came here with, and the other four live in the area we’re in. I’ve only been here a couple of times before but they all know me and welcome me in. 

Each time I get a wave the local kids cheer me on and support me. And I cheer them on in return too. 

The waves are small but challenging and fast. 

And the water is filled with laughter and high spirits. 

Everyone’s joking and messing around. 

There is no serious, aggressive competitiveness here as you find at so many surf spots. For once everyone is focused on exactly what they should be in the water, having fun. 

It reminds me of the reason I surf.

I haven’t been in the water for a couple of weeks due to a nasty reef cut and the second I plunge myself and my board under a wave to get out the back I feel whole again.

There’s nothing that can bother me out here. 

And, there’s nothing to do here. In the most glorious way. 

There are no shops for us to go to, fancy café’s to drive to or bars to enjoy. 

There’s a local restaurant on the beach that will serve us any variety of fried rice, vegetables, and tempeh we could desire. For less than a dollar a plate.

And that’s it.

There is nothing else.

We sit, we surf, we read, we talk, we joke, we eat and then do it all again. 

Surf, eat, relax, all day. Over and over. 

At night we get a guitar and sing songs around a fire and pass a drink between us all to share. 

No one’s zoning out on their phone and not paying attention, because they can’t. There’s no phone reception here.

This is all we have. Each other, music and the stars. 

They say time moves faster the older you get. 

It doesn’t move fast here. This is the slowest an hour or a day has gone in years. 

But not because of boredom. Because of simplicity. 

We don’t have anything else we need to or should be doing. 

So we’re all here. Fully here, in this moment. Until the moment we crawl into our tenants for the night ready to do it all again tomorrow. 

I would tell you exactly where this beach is but then it would no longer be this beach. 

It would change.

And right now it’s perfect just how it is. 

Here.

Somewhere.