Surfwise - a very interesting experience

We'd heard about this film from - somewhere - I can't remember. But, a family growing up in an RV sounded like something we had to watch. Being largely about surfing, I was sure that there would be a focus on that specifically, but wanting to see how a family of 11 lives in a 24-foot rig - I thought we'd be able to work with it. The basic premise:

Legendary surfer, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, abandoned a successful medical practice to withdraw from the lifestyle of mainstream America. But unlike other American searchers such as Thoreau and Kerouac, Paskowitz took his wife and nine children along for the ride, all eleven of them living in a 24-foot camper. The family spent their days living by Doc's rules on health, fitness, sexuality, and above all surfing. The Paskowitzs' prove that America may be running out of frontiers, but it hasn't run out of frontiersmen.

The movie was definitely an interesting and in-depth look at how that kind of family works, and provided a few lessons about the later-in-life consequences of our actions on this trip. While we are certainly not idealists in the way that this patriarch was, I think that it showed Jill and me that we do have to provide structure, discipline and education in a very normal sense along the way. I think Jill and I want it to be a very rewarding experience, but still maintain a lot of the normalcy of 'regular life'.

I think what I mean most about that is keeping them prepared to rejoin society in the way that everyone else does - not to give in to the 'RV Lifestyle' that some live -- cheap lifestyle, no schedules, constantly on the move, no boundaries and some kind of hippie-like existence. I think the basic philosophy of our plan is solid, that it will allow us to remain grounded and at the same time experience everything in the country first-hand.

One of the most interesting things from the movie (I'd put them all in here, but I don't want to spoil the laughs and gutchecks) was Doc's personal mantra. I'm going to say that it struck a chord with me, making me think about it since then, and probably incorporating it into my personal beliefs. From seeing his website (http://www.alohadoc.com/) it appears his philosphy takes off on a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

"Health, is more than the mere absence of disease..."

His take:

"Health is much, much more than just not being sick. Health is the presence of a
Superior State of Well Being-a vigor, a vitality, which must be worked for each
and every day of your life."

As far as the movie itself, what a fun watch. We've got 15 new inside jokes, quotes and funny lines that we have in our heads. The movie itself was very revealing about large family dynamics, idealism, and the effects of dictatorships. The cinematography was great, as was the storytelling. The movie followed a very straightforward formula (feel good start, tell a little background, reveal the demons, go deep into the demons, make it all come together in a nice little package with a bow, the end), but even with that obvious formula (not sure you could tell this particular any other way and keep it watchable) the film was a really enjoyable evening. It really did give a great insight into another way to live off-the-grid, out of the norm, completely being true to your beliefs - and the consequences that eventually come from that.