Day 292 of 365 "Victorious"

Meet Mason from Trabuco Canyon, CA.

The one word that best describes Mason's life today is "Awesome."

If Mason could change one thing in the world, he would "Want the beaches to be clean."  The way he would go about making this change is to put more trash cans on the beaches and pick up trash.

One year from today, Mason would like to compete in the 2015 Vic Skimboard Contest.

If Mason's life were a movie, it would be about a 14 year old kid who pursued his dream of competing in one of the biggest skimboarding contest in the world and ends up winning it!  The title of his movie would be called "Victorious."

I met Mason this morning while he was skimboarding with his friend.  They told me the conditions were not that great because the waves were breaking too close to the shore.  But, the water was warm and the morning air was a perfect 75 degrees.

Mason seems like a dedicated grom who will work hard to achieve his goal of winning "The Vic" at the age of 14.  I learned that Mason plays hockey and would like to play in college.

As I was talking with Mason and taking his picture, I saw his dad walk up and tell him "it's time to go."  I felt kinda weird.  I reached out to shake his hand and introduce myself but he didn't want anything to do with me.

I turned my attention to Mason's dad and explained to him that I am meeting one new person a day and asking four questions and sharing their story on our blog.  He said "as long as you don't put any personal information, it's alright."

This interaction broadened my idealistic perspective about how people perceive me when I walk up to them and ask to take their picture and post it online.  I understand where Mason's dad is coming from because as a father myself, I'm not sure how I would feel about a stranger talking to and taking pictures of my children.

In the end, I'm thankful that Mason's dad was watching over his son, it shows Mason that he is involved in his life. Thanks Mason and Mason's dad for allowing me to share your story.