the "hard yards"

In Laird Hamilton's book Force of Nature, there is a quote from his buddy Dave Kalama, where he talks about 'putting in the hard yards', meaning the unseen work that lead up to his and Laird's success in big waves.

I often think about that, as I work on getting back into the lineup. Its an uphill challenge. But every time I paddle out and get worked by the waves, or banged into the rocks, I think about the "hard yards", the work it takes to accomplish those goals worth working for, and it keeps me plugging away!

While on a business trip to the coast, I recently paddled into some small surf in Ventura, then later in the same day, Malibu. On the way out, I hit my knee on the rocks at Ventura, very painful. I struggled with the pain of that injured knee, the crowded conditions and fatigue at Malibu. Hard yards.

But then, sittting on my board in the water, I picked up a seaweed leaf, and studied it. I thought about the beauty of that leaf, the beauty of the day, the miracle of being able to surf on ocean waves, and it made me appreciate being alive and healthy on God's beautiful little blue planet. Suddenly the hard yards didn't seem so hard after all!