Auspicious.

Showing or suggesting that future success is likely

When I was in Junior High, there was a kid in my class who liked to surf. A lot.

Everyday before school he would paddle out to Steamer’s Lane in Santa Cruz, shred for a few frigid hours, then go to school, salty and shivering. As soon as the afternoon bell rang, he would ride his rusty Cruiser bike straight back to The Lane, and surf again until dark.

Our whole friend group surfed, but this one kid always outlasted us, his little toe-head bobbing out in the Pacific Ocean until the sun descended behind the clouds. This theme continued into high school until he was undoubtedly the best surfer to ever come out of our town. When he qualified for the elite World Surfing League and started surfing heats against Kelly Slater and John John Florence, I had to ask myself how it happened.

Time.

The thousands of hours he spent surfing when he was young were an auspicious sign of the heights he would later reach.

If you want to get good at surfing: Surf. Humans master their craft by immersing themselves in the craft. His name is Nat Young and he grasped that fundamental rule at an early age.

See ya next week Wordos,

Kyle

This is a Friday newsletter. Each week I pick a new word I’m trying to learn, then use it in a short story.