EAST TEXAS UNFILTERED w/J. Chad Parker: Featuring Alan Wharton

In this episode of East Texas UNFILTERED, host J. Chad Parker sits down with Alan Wharton. Alan is a lawyer, a surfer, and a man who has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was seven years old. He shares the real highs and lows of that fight and how he has kept a positive attitude through it all.

Chad and Alan also talk about Alan’s gift for joy and the way he shares it with other people. They explore where this infectious spirit may come from and why it stands out to everyone who knows him. It is a look at a man who chooses fun, lifts up the room, and makes life brighter for the people around him.

Alan shares deep love for surfing and the life he has built around fun, friendship, and gratitude. He shares how he found his way back to the waves and why he refuses to let fear run his life. This episode is funny, honest, and full of heart. It is about living fully and making every day count.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Your parents never seemed to really hold you back and treat you like a potential egg that could get broken. Exactly. And you benefited, you I mean you did everything. You know, I wanted to do everything y'all were doing. You know, tackle football.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Played in the yard, ringing the doorbells and running. Oh yeah. Kids just don't get to experience the good times. No, running that's nothing more fun than being in the car with a tennis ball. And them not knowing where to go from jamming on the brakes and and getting out. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Then the chest was up. That was good, man. I mean, we grew up in a different world, obviously. The experiences that we had back then. I mean, I think it made us do the arms.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Let's raise the meter.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Welcome to another episode of East Texas Unfiltered. I'm your host, Jay Chad Parker. Today we've got a guest that has two things in his life that most of us will never understand or never have done or experienced. One of them is type 1 diabetes, and the other is a passion for surfing. Alan, thank you for being here. Chad, thank you so much for having me on the show. I'm very excited to be here today. Well, I mean, I believe every human being is interesting, and it's just up to me, the host on this show, to find out what it is. You, uh, for the people that know you uh describe you as everything from uh a seeker of good times to a bundle of joy. And, you know, uh I don't know where that comes from. You know, it's certainly uh uh being related to you, uh, you know, I wouldn't say Arnold had anything to do with that. No, probably not. Probably not as well. I would say closer to Julia or maybe, you know, uh a milkman. I'm not sure what, you know, w where you get this from. Uh you're the smallest in the family, but you're the most joyous. Yeah. Right? That's that's true in all words that he just said.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

But I tell you, I don't know where it is either, but my energy and my joy for life and just making people smile and have a good time, I don't know where that comes from, but I'm so happy to have it, and I'm so happy to be able to express it in a way that people recognize that.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Aaron Powell Well, you know, and and you do just that with people, and I think people that are around you uh will admit that it's somewhat infectious. You know, it's hard to be in a bad mood when you're at Stanley's, you know, with some Rita's and some dancing with Alan. I mean it's just hard to get down. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

I tell you, that is a passion in my life too. That is not in part of the uh what you described at the start of the show. But yes, I do love to dance. That's a that's another thing. And it just brings, you know, to people just excited. There's something happening, there's fun going on.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

And yeah, it's no fun to be down all the time, or Debbie D. And also, you know, there's studies that people that are have positive outlooks, it it's better for their health. They live longer. Um, and with you know, some medical challenges that you've dealt with a long time, maybe that's been beneficial. Aaron Powell You're probably exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

I mean, it's just like you know, knowing when I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was age seven, and at a different time before technology had been a good thing. Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

I mean, we couldn't monitor it. No. But you need to tell people, because most people don't really understand. They hear, you know, these commercials on TV talking about watch you, A1C and somebody heavy sets doing a dance, you know. But type one is a legitimate thing, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:30

I produce no insulin, Chad. So I have to have insulin in order to survive. Where others can produce some, but maybe their lifestyle change or lifestyle needs something else to help them have the correct amount and to to pr produce insulin in order to control their blood sugar.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Aaron Powell You know, I've always understood that, but not the seriousness of what that actually means to say my body, me, I don't produce any insulin, and that's that's what you've been like since age seven. That is correct. So when people say, well, he's an insulin-dependent diabetic, does that mean they're a type one diabetic?

SPEAKER_02 4:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Because they're dependent. Right. On a a syringe, some technology that's been developed that introduces it to your body. That's right. Because um when we go back to, you know, uh you were born in what year? 1972. All right. So in 1979, you know, I hear, we hear, Alan has a disease. And uh this is when we were, you know, obviously very small. And uh we hear diabetes. Of course, nobody had ever heard of it before. Uh I had heard it referred to in the African American community as the sugar. Yes. Um, but back then, you know, nobody really knew. I just thought maybe, you know, because Julia always fed you Cokes and cereal that somehow that was connected.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Well, it somehow connected because insulin, if you have too much in your body, your blood sugar gets low. In order to counteract that, you need sugar to get your blood sugar level back to a you know an operating level, I guess you could say.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah, because you know, I remember the advice that she would give us as kids uh when she would drop us off at Willowbrook and we'd play golf. That was if Alan has a seizure, just give him a candy bar or a coke. And you know, can you imagine today's parents using that as, hey, that's what we'll do. Yeah. And that did happen. And it happened. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

And it's uh interesting. One, I give my parents credit to allow me to do things that they didn't try to to smother me and and to protect me. They let me go out in the world. But with regard to that, yes, there was always you had to kind of watch over because if your blood sugar got low, yes, you would go in a reaction. And I was not in a it's because you're you don't have enough glucose in your mind to have understanding with regard to what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

You can't feed yourself. Yeah, I mean, you think about that, how uh we can no longer ride in the back of pickups. Uh we can no longer uh, you know, uh our parents can't smoke with the windows up. I mean, this is one of those things where, you know, uh nowadays no one would ever think to let their kid go with no technology and just some buddies the same age gonna be the paramedics. Exactly. And that was pretty much it. Yeah. But we did have a lot of good times, and thankfully, uh, you know, we administered treatment when necessary.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Exactly right. And obviously it was a necessary treatment that gave because I'm here today mm speaking to you on your show.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

Aaron Ross Powell But uh you know, that's uh that had to be a daily, weekly thought that is when am I gonna get my insulin?

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Right. And it's everything from because now you see people wearing the glucose monitors that it, you know, sensors that automatically.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

I'm getting there, but I know what you're talking about. But what I want people to focus and understand is back in the 70s, I mean, you had to have some medicine that was refrigerated and some syringes on a on a daily basis. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

And I was going back on the glucose, basically you peed on a stick to see if you had ketones or not. You had no number associated with that. You were the higher whatever 400 plus, or if it was uh a different color down on the s lower scale of it, you may be low, and you'd have the what we just discussed with regard to maybe a reaction or something like that associated with it.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

So you're just I mean, your parents they would just do the best they could estimating where you were at any given moment. You're basically flying by the seat of your pants. Um But but it's true it was a it was a daily uh a daily dose.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Aaron Ross Powell Daily. So you and when I was taking insulin from a syringe, now obviously when you're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Right, when did that stop? How long did you do that before there was some other technique?

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Well, I tell you, because of probably being dad being a physician, you know, and then physicians a lot of the times think they can care for every portion of whatever the particular disease is. I was at a law school before I got an insulin pump. Were you syringes all the way to that point? Syringes all the way to that point. Which made it very difficult on the especially as a young man, you know, trying to be out and you're always you're always conscious associated with the thing. Hold on, honey, I've got to uh take a shot. Exactly. Right. And it's it makes it kind of things like that in life a little tricky. Yeah, you just have to plan around them. Yeah. And a lot of it too, back in the day, I didn't want anybody to treat me differently. Right. So it I kind of, in a sense, hide it or wouldn't be so upfront with someone to tell them, hey, I've got this, I've got diabetes, and there's certain things I have to do.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Aaron Ross Powell Cause I mean, you know, you don't think of it as a disease, but I guess that's what it is.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah, that's basically it. If I don't have insulin, then adios, man.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

I know. You and I have talked about that before, you know, and and and you have that uh live every day like it's the last spirit that it would have to take to say, well, if for some reason I couldn't get insulin, adios. Yeah. Right? Right. Yeah. And I mean that's that's a lot heavier than what most people are living with day to day. Right. I mean, you know, there's not a car wreck could get me, but there's not something that I need that I know of that could be withdrawn and my life be over. That's right. Um But you know, that's uh I guess that's in your in your soul, man. You know that. And so you that's maybe have something to do with why you do enjoy every breath you're taking.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Yeah. I mean, he is exactly right. Yeah, well, no one knows. No one knows, you know, any time with regard to whatever it's going on in their life or when that may not be in existence anymore. But you know, being diabetic, it's a s it's always in your subconscious with regard to what's your sugar level, what's going on, and and where's your monitor at?

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Yeah. What's that noise beeping over there? Yeah. You know. But at least you can manage your lifestyle with your insulin with this technology a lot better. A lot better.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Because without this technology, keeping your blood sugar level at a consistent basis, because when it's not a consistent basis, you know, sugar levels, high sugar levels can damage parts of your body. I.e., you remember when I was in law school, I had all that eye surgery associated with that.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

I was gonna ask you about the different procedures, but you're right, I do remember. I didn't know what it was because you were in law school in Houston. Right. Um, I was back here starting to practice, and they said you were having eye surgeries. And um tell us about what was causing that.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

So it's called diabetic retinopathy. And so when your sugar levels are high, they're not controlled over a long period of time, your s circulation starts to slow or speed up? Well, it it causes damage associated with that. So in the eyes, obviously you have smaller blood vessels, and for the blood to flow up, and I may not be, you know, I'm no doctor. Right, I know, I know, but I mean I'm not knowing the specifics.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Just give us the armchair, you know, diabetic injury summary.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Yeah, real quick. So when you're born, you have this substance in your eye that basically forms your eyeball. And I I I can't remember exactly what it's called, but it with the uh medical surgery associated with that is a viscerectomy. You're taking that out and then they fill it with some soleine type substance or whatever. Have they done that to you? That has happened. Because a lot of people, that's why a lot of diabetics went blind way back in the day. Right. Because the that googly gump, so when you had a bleed in your eye, it just it would go into that whatever that jelly-like fluid was and cause where you could not see.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

It would just cloud things up so dark that it would represent blindness.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

It was almost like a yellowy, gooey substance, and you could kind of see through it, but with blood and goo and all that other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Have you had this surgery in both eyes? In both eyes. And is this a permanent fix or uh uh pretty much, or is it something that has to be redone later?

SPEAKER_02 12:12

It was a pretty much a permanent fix, also. They did some laser associated with that. So, like with my eyes, and then as associated with that, you had you were at the um risk of developing cataracts earlier. Aaron Powell Which is just kind of a clouding over. Yes. So at age forty, so I had some lasers also associated with the eye surgery where I have no peripheral vision.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

You don't have any now? No peripheral vision. I mean, I've often wondered why when I was coming up going like this over here, you're never looking at me.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

I mean, and it's you know, so that's something you had to adjust to uh with life. A lot of head turning. Yeah, a lot of head turning. Sometimes people have their hand down and like to shake my hand if I'm not looking or you know, it's like you know, like I could I I may look like a total butt sometimes due to the fact that you're not gonna be able to Yeah, somebody's trying to shake your hand recognizing it.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Well, you it doesn't sound like you'd be much good in a bar fight either.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Right. But yeah, so you know, stem to that, had cataract surgery, then had an issue with one of the eyes and had to have a uh something done with regard to that. And but here I am. I mean, this is me and basically uh a stage after going through some experiences with those things, but that's what's so important with technology to be able to control the blood sugar at more consistency where it's not all over the place.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Aaron Powell I mean, I've heard some people say before with different diseases and illnesses that they're hopeful that somehow technology could save their life, that it could get created, it could advance. And it's really stayed a little bit ahead of you and been helpful. Yes, very helpful.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

It's kind of like one of those things like, well, goodness gracious, man, I'm glad I'm glad I hung around long enough so they could have this, because it it depends on where you were growing up, what generation, that might not even have been an option, and you were you were who you were gonna be with the body.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

You were likely to have a chance to pass away. Right. Um, you know, before the surgeries, I mean, were you fearful of the blindness? Was that something that was in your mind? Because that's a scary thing for people.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Jim, that's the you know, I just live, you know. And I'm fortunate, like I said, about technology advancing enough to when my body says, Hey, this isn't working anymore. There's something to help with that. But I never really think about, I don't think that forward with regard to what potentiality negative things may happen with you in your life. You can't.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

It'd worry you to death, right? Because you're set up with, hey, no insulin, dead. This go wrong, blind, this go wrong, amputation, right? I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Kidneys, you know, that's another big issue with, you know, diabetes, you know. So, and it's really the vascular system associated with the vessels. And I like say I don't know too much about with regard to the medical terminology. But yeah, there's always there's always can be complications associated with diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

And it I guess it has to do with either not enough insulin and the body's reaction without it.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

Yeah. So if you don't have insulin, then and I don't, you know, your blood sugars go up. And when they're high and I'm for a long period of time, that's when it can cause complications.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

When your blood sugars are low, you're grouchy?

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Well, when they're low, I mean it could be you because you're really because your brain's not operating correctly. It's almost like I mean, I remember the first time I uh drank alcohol. I'm like, dude, this is all this seems well, it seems like a very familiar experience because like the brain was not functioning on you know a hundred percent. It was like it was on a you know a smaller percentage. That's like they say alcohol does.

SPEAKER_03 15:52

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

I mean, yeah, when you drink, you're not functioning at 100% of it. I think I heard that on commercials, PSAs, and other things.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Right. So when you're low, your brain's not functioning at that full capacity. And so Well, you've learned to adapt. Yeah. I figured it out, I think, most of the time. Maybe it's your balance approach.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

I don't know. But yeah, I mean, I I I think there's probably some people that are diabetics type one that don't drink. Are there? There probably are. I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

I mean, there are probably people without diabetes that don't drink. So yeah, there probably is more. I let's just say I'm not the poster child of diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

I'm not the poster child. Right. I mean, right. I mean, you're right. But that's okay. I think that, you know, if you get around you and they and and they know you long enough, I think they they see that, you know, the risk is worth the reward. The juice is worth the squeeze. I mean, right? Like it's just worth it to live happily, joyfully, freely instead of sitting around waiting for the next bad medical complication. Right. I mean You know, that's no way to live, man. No, no, man. I mean, and I mean, uh you're pulling it off, okay? I mean, you're pulling it off. Uh because not everybody can do it. You know people that are super serious. I mean, any little thing going wrong, and they're even though they have everything in the world feel like it's the end of the world. Right. Uh that's not you. You've got a gift, my friend, and I think that's it. I appreciate that. But uh it's good to have that with what you've dealt with. Yeah. Have you had any other health problems uh like the eyes that you've had to deal with? Fortunately, no. Fortunately, no. So But the eyes are the window of the world. Yeah. It's nice to have them. Right. I mean, any of your senses, you know, smell, touch, yeah, see. I mean, you want them all. Oh, yeah. Um But you know, you um I know you you've always liked things that were uh I remember you skateboarded when you were a kid, you know. Not everybody skateboarded, right? It was only a a smaller group of, you know, renegades sometimes, but you were still the happy not skater, not the renegade. Right. Yes. So it's always kind of been a personality trait of yours to be happy. Yeah. Oh yeah. You know, you did everything. You played football. Oh yeah. As you mentioned, your parents never seemed to really hold you back and treat you like a potential egg that could get broken. Exactly. And you benefited. You I mean you did everything.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

I mean, can't look growing up with us, you know, I wanted to do everything y'all were doing. And, you know, oh yeah. Played in the yard. We had a good time doing all that. Ringing the door ringing the doorbells and running.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Oh, yeah. Throwing stuff at cars. Everything. Uh yeah. I mean, I love that stuff. Kids just don't get to experience the good times in the car, right? There's nothing more fun than being in a car with a tennis ball and them not knowing where it came from and jamming on the brakes and and and getting out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

You know, then the chase was up. That was it, man. I mean, we grew up in a different world, obviously, from the kids these days. But I mean, the experiences that we had back then, I mean, I mean, I think it made us who we are. I mean, we're resilient, man. We can do you know anything.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

We could ride our bike to the 7-Eleven.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

That's right. Yeah. You know.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

We did all those things. Oh, man. But yeah, I mean, you know, you kind of just followed, you know, you you went to Robert E. Lee, you graduated, you went to TCU, right? Yep. Then you went on to South Texas. There you go. So, you know, we know you to be a type one diabetic. We know you to be a lawyer because you graduated from law school. And uh you've been practicing law how many years? This is maybe my 29th.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

So licensed in May 1, 1998.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

So you're coming up on that's hard to believe, isn't it? It's amazing. And just like us all, uh our law practice has changed through the years. Oh yeah. And oh yeah. Tell us about really your practice right now, like the things that that you do uh that you could help people with or that, you know, uh kind of what you've settled in on in the law.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Yeah, so you know, obviously we did litigation, uh, we did insurance defense. I started doing plaintiff work around 2004, did that for probably up to 2019, and just kind of transitioned more. One, I wanted a a more flexible schedule. And two, my office became an office of one. I'm the guy that gets the mail, uh-huh. I'm the guy that mails the mail, makes the copies, yeah, all the things from the from the bottom to the top. But I'll and I wanted more flexibility with regard to my schedule. And being an office of one, you know, in your practice, you can't operate and do defense work or plaintiff work without a a staff. Some support. Right, some support. And it just kind of worked my way to getting here in in different you know, ways because of my networking associated with other things that I've done. David Dial. I remember you had an office that you and that was kind of a big transition. They helped you there for me. And then a guy we know very well, uh my client, one of my clients, and is probably my best client, uh, you know, I do his in-house counsel work. So anything going on in his businesses, indoor personal stuff, I handle that for him. Also, this morning I was in a mediation from nine to one before I came over here. Uh, I'm an uh uh member of the American Arbitration Association on the consumer panel.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Um So you do arbitrations between uh people and entities where there's an arbitration clause that says that's how you have to handle it?

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Yeah, and they're typically smaller cases like people in their uh wireless phone bills, it's an arbitration clause. In your credit card uh agreements or arbitration clause. So that's through the American Arbitration Association. Then I do some small estate planning, some probate work, some real estate um work, where I draft you know, deeds and but you know, mainly, you know, contractual type agreements, service agreements and And generally, yeah, it's a it's a lot. And then I get some court appointments, as you're aware of. So that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

I mean you're you're an ad litum in a lot of friendly services.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

So where my practice is now, it's probably the best place that I've been. I mean, no, no, with regard to everything, but the the least stressful and because stress can cause with regard to your diabetes back to your blood sugar level, it can cause an i it to go up because you're like your adrenal and your stress. It does.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

I mean, you know, and you you make a good point. I mean, uh there's a lot of stress in the law. And and and it and depending on your personality, right? You know, it could be even worse, right? That's no doubt about it. Um and, you know, I know what you're saying. You're saying that quality of life means more to you than the money you make. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yes, especially at my current uh stage of my practice and where I am.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Right, I mean, that's what you're saying.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

You're saying, look, man, I don't care. I I want to have enough business to do what I want and live how I want and be as unstressed as possible. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:15

And obviously from circumstances which you're fully aware of, my cost I've lowered my cost with uh living.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Yeah, it's uh it's a great business model. I mean, you've got a nice crib and the office is inside the crib. Yeah, that's right. And so, you know, I don't know if it's a mortgage payment or a write-off, but it's it's one or the other. Right. Um and uh it's only uh a few blocks from Stanley's. Yes. Right.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

Perfect place for me to be.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

That's what like come on, Alan. I'll let you live in uh one of my rentals if you want to. He's like, no, no, no, I'm fine right where I am. I like my point nine mile walk to Stanley's. Yeah. Um your address, uh your place is cool, uh, and it's everything you need, and that's all you care about, right? Yeah, because I'm barely there except maybe during the working hours. Right. And you know, your son Weston, he's off. Yes. Um I don't know if he's taken an internship or still in college. So he'll graduate in May.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

I'm very excited for him. Uh he's a semifinalist in the Fulbright um scholarship, which is very, very intelligent.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Very intelligent. Right. I mean, we're all looking around saying, again, is this milkman? I mean, where you know, I mean, you know, Allen's funny and joyous. Where'd he come from? Weston's like super smart. Like, where'd he come from?

SPEAKER_02 24:36

Yeah, so he'll graduate here in May, and then he'll be either in Spain for the year teaching English at a smaller community over there, or he's applied to uh three graduate schools. He'll be hearing from these things pretty soon and applied to um teach Spanish, because he's a Spanish major at some boarding schools in the mid-Atlantic states. Aaron Powell He loves that Spanish, doesn't he? Oh, he loves it. I mean he's he's mastered the language. He has. I mean and and the other portion of his he's also a major he created his own major. Uh you had to put a curriculum together and show it to Denison University, where it's basically a linguistics style uh major. He's got his own Spanish. Yeah, it's his own style. Yeah, origin, or origin, learning origins of languages and and really deep diving in into that world. And so yeah, I'm very proud of him. He's done exceptional. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Because there's Spain and then there's Mexico and Central America, right?

SPEAKER_02 25:27

And they all have their different dialects, just you know.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

And that's interesting, you know. I always always thought maybe, you know, uh language in uh Northeastern boarding school or wherever he was, you know, sometimes Fed, uh, you know, CIA, State Department, those kind of government jobs, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

I don't know that that's where he's headed, but he actually mentioned he's uh expressed interest in the CIA. They were on campus the other day, and one of his buddies, uh Jack Helms from uh Dallas, uh who's also up there and also uh semifinalist in Fulbright, that's kind of his road, you know. Not so much being out in the field, but being the guy, you know, researching, doing all this and understanding so he can uh inform with regard to what's going on. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 26:10

Right. I mean, because you know, uh our Central Intelligence Agency, you know, they uh they're responsible for, you know, gathering intelligence outside the country, which a lot of that is foreign languages that are being transmitted uh either over phones, television programs, and they need people to translate. That's right. And and pass along an analysis to a senior, like, hey, we think this is going on. Right. Well, that's interesting. That's exciting. I mean, knowing him like I do, you know, he's a very mature person for his age. Yeah, and always been. You know, and uh he seems very confident and he's not needy, right? I mean, like homesick doesn't even seem to be in his vocabulary. I mean, I mean not I mean I didn't talk to him in like two weeks. Well, I mean, yeah, he's very that's what I'm saying. You know, uh when I was that age, you know, I wasn't dying to talk to my parents all the time either. Trevor Burrus, Jr. It's it's typically what I need rises associated with typically monetary fighting. Yeah, right. Hey Dad can ab bar some money, but it has to be uh reassuring for you that he's out there in the world, he's doing well, and he's gonna be able to take care of himself without any support. That is correct. And so that allows me, right, obviously, to be more of me. And look forward to the future, right? Like okay, right. Now uh because he's not the kind that's looking for you to live uh his life through you. No.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

He's developing his own life, which I'm so happy with not trying to kind of guide.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

No. Well, that's true. I mean, you know, people are different, and life experiences also play a part in shaping who we are, and sometimes that seems to be different through different decades. No question. Right? Yeah. I mean, you know, living and knowing what you know now, I mean, would you want to go back to the Alan Wharton in his thirties? Hell no. I mean, I'm I'm taking that that's affirmation that you're happy with where you are in life right now. Super happy. And and and and the choices that you make, you know, you've described in your work, uh, but your leisure time uh as far as the activities, um, this surfing thing has really become a big, a big important thing to you.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

That's a huge passion to me, Chad. A huge passion. I mean, it's I call it it's also my carrot stick associated with my workout, you know, uh program. You gotta look good before you get out there without a shirt. Well, you gotta look good, but you gotta have stamina, paddle out there over and over. You know, because the surfing, you know, basically only show the pictures or the video when you're standing up on the board surfing the wave. That's like five percent of the whole process.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

The rest of it's struggling, yeah, trying not to choke to death on the water. Get in in position. Paddling out, somebody steals your wave.

SPEAKER_02 29:02

Paddling turkey. Yeah. Then the set waves come in, you're you're where the waves are breaking, then the sets come out with your closeouts, and you gotta paddle like, you know, our after you're fully exhausted already, get you know, another fifty yards out so you don't get just hammered by those set waves coming in.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

And that's really kind of what I understood uh started your you know your move into fitness through yoga was to kind of prepare your body with body weight to be fit enough to go out there and do this thing.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

Yeah. Because that's it's very important. Of course, flexibility associated with yoga. And you know, you gotta be pretty flexible, especially when you're rolling around after a weight just takes you out.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Aaron Powell And it just you know it just feels better when you look better in a bathing suit than you know, you know, old guy with a a beer belly trying to get out there.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

You could ask anybody I've been on on these trips with. I walk around I I don't put a shirt on the basically the entire time I'm on these trips.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

Yeah, I mean I know you are low maintenance, though. I'm gonna have to throw that in. Yeah. But your passion from skating to Galveston, somehow you got your mom and somebody to take you to Galveston, because we don't have any place to surf around here. No, we do not. And we've got the one of the first photos of Alan in action with the grainy photograph. And yeah, I don't really see a half pipe there.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

No. This is this is circa, who knows, mid eighties in Galveston, Texas. It's you you probably could see by the color of the water, uh, that nice tingy brown. But uh yeah, that was that was one of my first or may maybe, you know, early on with regard to me uh being passionate about this sport.

SPEAKER_01 30:41

So you enjoyed it, uh, but then you know, there was life. You know, there was college, there was law school, there was going to work, there was a family, there was all these things, you know, and there wasn't really time for surfing to go off on a trip for a week in Central America. No. Right? No, not at all. All right. So when did this spark come back into you and ignite to where you actually did something and said, I'm gonna look at a website or I'm gonna book a flight?

SPEAKER_02 31:08

Yeah. So in 2023, as you well wear, it was time for my marriage to to end.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

Well, I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at the end. I'm just saying, uh, you know, you present that in a way uh that yes, some things do come to an end in life.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Yeah, and and sometimes there needs to be change, you know?

SPEAKER_01 31:30

Yeah. For the better or worse, sometimes change needs to happen. And some people end all and sometimes both people end up better for it, right? That's that's true. And so your life changes in 2023. Yes. You've got more uh time on your hands. Yes. Um and you now have the the opportunity to think about what is it that I like? Yeah. I'm how old at this point. At this point, I'm fifty-one? Okay. So you've been a diabetic for over 40 years at this point. Yes. Yes. Um and you're still physically healthy. Yes. Uh in spite of the multiple visits and the hours at Stanley's. Yeah. That's it. It is amazing. I mean, you know, you're a case study on, you know. Yeah, they they may be taking look at me. I I think it's the server. I think it's the machine and the pump that's the key. Could be. The monitor. Could be. Right? Yeah. Because I mean you can control what's going on, because you can see what's happening.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Yeah, and and too, like I think about today. I early morning, didn't really get to eat. Now, in the old days, you had to eat at certain times of the day. Right. You had to have breakfast, snack, and middle of the day. Lunch, snack and monitor.

SPEAKER_01 32:41

No way to monitor. Now, you stay up all night and uh forget to go buy McDonald's because they're already closed when you're when you're headed in.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

I mean, hopefully they hopefully they won't be one of your future advertisers, but yeah. Well, okay.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Uh I don't know what's open in Tyler, you know, when you're shutting it down and headed home. But let's say you don't you you you you can't eat. You wake up the next morning, where are you physically? Well, physically feeling awesome and really good. I mean, there's not uh a blood sugar up or down the No, it's because it it's pretty consistent.

SPEAKER_02 33:17

That's the the beauty of the technology, you know. It's it keeps everything consistent. So even if you don't eat, the pump is working, you know, talking to the sensor and either sh not giving you any insulin, you know, or if it's going the opposite way, it'll oh excuse me, it'll give insulin. So it kind of helps. It's just like they're talking and they're trying to keep everything rolling.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

All right. Now, diving deeper into the technology, you've said we've got a pump. Yes. That means we have to keep it charged up.

SPEAKER_02 33:47

Well, so the pump, all right. So that it's it's the one I have currently is a it's a it's called omnipod. And so the pod is like a it's about this big, and I'd show you, but it's on my it's on my backside, but it's about this big, and you put insulin in that and it just it's itself its own has its own little battery because it lasts for three days. So every three days, you put 150 units of insulin in one of these little pods, and it just kinda and you stick it on there.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

Do you find yourself using the same amount of insulin every three days, or does it depend on what your lifestyle is or what's going on?

SPEAKER_02 34:23

It depends on some of the lifestyle, but two, you know, just like with any technology, there's variables and everything, right? Right. So maybe the little cannula is kind of got a kink in it or something like that. Or the worst thing is, is when insulin pulls up. So it's like it's in there, but it's getting s it's not getting to be absorbed out throughout the body.

SPEAKER_01 34:44

Is it a is it a thicker than water material? Insulin? Is it is it more gel or or you know, I ain't no scientist, buddy. I have no idea. And I don't think anybody's gonna argue with that.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Right. But I don't really understand the dynamics, but I do understand that like all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it'll just go boom. And like what happened?

SPEAKER_01 35:04

What do you when you say boom, are you saying how you feel? Are you saying the the insulin just all of a sudden maybe city fires through just comes through in your life? A whole bunch at once. Right. What happens when you get a uh insulin kick like that? Nosedive, man. When you say nosedive, is that what you're doing? So say my No, I mean, are you fading?

SPEAKER_02 35:25

I mean, what Yeah, I'm fading. So like say you uh say the blood sugars, you know, typical most people's blood sugars arrange at 80 to 120, okay? Now, mine can be okay, like in 130, 140, whatever. All right. I mean you're a big thing. Sometimes it goes even higher. So you're wondering why is this staying up here? Because I really didn't eat anything. There's nothing that's going into my body that's causing my glucose level to go high. And so then when you start like, well, I need to give more insulin. And that's sometimes where it you're giving more insulin, and all of a sudden all that insulin starts working, and this thing comes, you know, you're 150-ish, now you're you're heading to 60, you're heading to 50, you're heading to, you know, how do you stop that nosedive? Well, these are only this is this is not the what should be happening all the time. Right. I'm not sure. They're random, like like just variable stuff.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

If they did, it's kind of a then you gotta get some sugar in you. Okay, that's when you go back to the Coke and the candy bar.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

But just like fat two. Man, I I I knew there was something going on. I just pounded insulin. Well, then went to the parade.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

Are you sure it wasn't the hurricanes?

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Yeah, it could have been. But dance and the king cake. But dance the entire the entire entire parade route. And I look it's like, oh no, man, because it was like 61, like as we're getting to the finish line. Uh-huh. And it's like, and it was going down quick. So are you gonna pass out or what? Yeah, that at that point would be like in the old days, right? I'd go down. But um it it seems like I still have more consciousness associated with what I need at the time and can kind of I don't know if it's based on experience, because I don't know if you can really fight your body that much with when it's you know needing something in it before it just feels. Oh, you feel it. But it sometimes it happens like so fast. Yeah. And that's what happened. But luckily I got in there, Tracy had some orange juice, yeah, you know, got that in my system.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

So bar, they got plenty of sugar. So it leveled up pretty quick. So uh give me the frozen margarita. Yeah, that's it. There you go. I mean it's got some sugar in there, no, no doubt. Well, um, you know, this could be scary for some people just talking and thinking about what you're thinking and talking about. Yeah. Because I mean, you gotta have a pod to replace. Yeah. I don't know if you have to ever uh change a pump from your body and move it somewhere else. How does that work?

SPEAKER_02 37:45

Well the pods are adhesive, but you um you move them around because you can develop scar tissue associated with, you know, where that little uh plastic infusion How does the body take the insulin from the pod that's stuck to the outside of your skin?

SPEAKER_01 37:59

That's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 38:00

I don't know with the omnipod, but it talks I've got on my telephone I have an app, right? So that's where I can push a button to bowl it. Cyberattack. Wait a minute now, what's going on there, right? What do you do then?

SPEAKER_01 38:10

Let's don't tell everybody about this. I'm just saying, if you couldn't look on the phone, what what would you do?

SPEAKER_02 38:18

It would be very difficult because there's some times where maybe the for whatever reason the pump just decides to give out. Like it has some sort of some error associated with that. It says, hey, replace your pump, right? Replace your pump. And now this pump is not even working, and I may be somewhere where there's no you don't have a pod. Right. And so those particular occasions they're it's difficult. I mean it can be stressful, but it's you have to plan. Yeah. I mean sometimes I'm not a big planner, you know?

SPEAKER_01 38:50

I mean, I'm sitting here thinking like uh I know one thing should be in your pocket, a phone charger.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

I mean, right? Your phone goes down. I mean right. I mean, uh it's like everything is down because you can't see anything. That you yeah, you definitely don't know what your blood sugar level is.

SPEAKER_02 39:06

Your pod will switch into what's called um oh, there's a mode associated with that. It's it comes off the automatic oh manual mode.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

You can't look on somebody else's phone for your stuff unless you No. No. So it's a it's probably some single software. Was this something very expensive when you got it? Well, that's the thing too.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

You know, with technology, you know, fortunate and I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford health insurance. Right. Because and that's the thing. People that don't have it, I mean it's it's that's what's it's just you know, it's life's not fair. But I mean it's it's it's you know it's fortunate to be able to be able to have the technology.

SPEAKER_01 39:48

Well we'll explore that because I think that's a meaningful point. Um You know, there's gratitude if you look at things if you look at your life like you're thankful instead of you deserve, then you know, that's gratitude, right? Yes. And you know, unfortunately, uh in the world we live in, uh it is just true that everybody will not have the same opportunities. That's right. And they won't have the same health insurance, and insurance companies won't pay for the same things, and all those are they're sad realities, and uh, you know, we're not here to try and fix that. Right. Because that's w well beyond anything you and I can talk about. But what happens to the people? You know, let's pretend that you're Alan Wharton with no health insurance. Um how do you can you get one of these pumps? I mean I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 40:44

There may be some processes associated with that.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

Some people donate programs, right? But without that.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

Without that, let's go back to 1979 when I'm you know injecting insulin with the syringe.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Trevor Burrus, Jr. That's what I was curious about. For people that are are are you know are poor and don't have insurance and know that they're a type one diabetic, are there people out there today that are injecting and urinating on a stick to try to figure out, you know, where they stand? Aaron Powell I'm sure they are.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

I mean, one with the with the test strips now, there's gluc uh you prick your finger and you're I mean that seems a little easier than always having to go to the restroom. Yeah, you get a roll. Yeah, no, no. But Chad, what are you doing in there? Yeah. You get a reading. So those that's that's an economical with regard to testing your blood sugar. But yeah, I mean, unless there's some program associated with like either donations or something along those lines. I mean, that's the thing with the pod, it's like a one-time use thing.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

You know, it's like it's not like a coffee maker. Yeah if you want to think about it. The pods of coffee are the pods that go for the insulin machine. Exactly. So you got one, you're throwing that out. Right. You get another one. You need to buy you gotta buy some more. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:55

But there's other companies, um, because I saw my endocrinologist last week and he was talking about a different pump, uh, Medtronic makes a pump, which I was on a Medtronic pump before it's got a tube, so you know, inserts. Those themselves, so you know, they have generation, you know, just like in any any technology. Oh, we got the new 600, we got the new 700. I got the iPhone 17. Exactly. Yeah, iPhone's a great example. So there's probably these kind of things, once, you know, they've been used but can be recycled, and there's probably certain people that get a lower model that don't have anything.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Right. Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

But it's better than the alternative.

SPEAKER_01 42:32

Right. I mean, that's uh But as far as the pump, I'm trying to understand the difference between the pump and the pod.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

So the pod is just a different in a sense, it's the same type of instrument, but it's I mean, what the heck, it's like you know, that big. And so it's pushing insulin. So the other one with a tube, it's also pushing insulin.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

What what mechanism is the energy that pushes the insulin? You know, I mean it's gotta be some I'm my guess. I haven't I haven't I haven't like I I haven't dissected it. You say pump, so I think pump. Right.

SPEAKER_02 43:10

And I think in a pump is just a term like I guess like Kleenex, right? You know, it's a tissue, right? Yeah, but a pump has mechanical energy. Yeah, so it's doing something. It's it's has some instrument mechanism that whenever I push the button to give me six units of insulin, it's somehow 'cause it's not gravity. It doesn't just drip into your body. No, it's it's got some sort of my guess on this instrument, because it clicks. Uh-huh. So it's probably some sort of device that's you know, like a screw, you know, like your s it's giving that. And the same thing with the pump. It's like there's some sort of it's like turning to push.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

I wonder if there you know, I don't know if you know about technology, but uh uh but we hear about, you know, human uh computer technology interfaces in the future. Yeah. I'm just wondering whether you know, diabetics type one and insulin, there'll ever be some kind of implantable.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

Um you know, there's been discussions at associated with that. I don't know where that is currently, but it's just like anything. I mean, I I don't want to but yeah, I mean you think with technology where it is now and what uh people are able to do it. You think that with you you know you could think about that with all sorts of different diseases. We just don't know. I mean unless someone says hey we've got this new technology but you would think at some juncture with the way things are advancing in all s all areas technology that something like that could come along.

SPEAKER_01 44:40

What about a cure? I mean I don't know what the cause of not producing any insulin is and whether or not that could be you know jump started or I'm sure you know it's a and I'm not up on all the things that I probably should understand about my own particular disease. You're not like you know you're not stressed out focused and that's why you don't know. No, that's right. Because somebody else if they if they think it up you'll hear about it. Yeah yeah I'm sure if it's if some wonder things going on there's a cure. Yeah I was like there's a cure.

SPEAKER_02 45:13

Yeah right yeah you I would at least think I would get that information. Now you know I don't pay attention to everything that's going on but you know it's just because there's too much going on. Right and you know you know between work and back to the fun yeah and back to where we were in 2023 where you had this time and how did you reconnect with the first uh surfing trip man well I thought you know I had a this that in 2023 a ti time in my life to you know say I wanted to go back to some of the passions I had when I was younger that I never got to fully explore you know and surfing for me is it's it's just the most beautiful thing I mean it looks beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

I mean just this picture of you you know I love water. I know you love water but I mean you know it's hard to ride aboard. Yeah yeah it is but it is it it's serene right I mean it's peaceful it's you can't really hear outside noise can you no I mean it's it's you're sitting in the ocean which is the most uncontrollable I mean magnificent piece of water.

SPEAKER_02 46:24

Yeah like a shark could get you well you know let's let's don't get Dallas. I don't like I'm worried about that. You're making me put my pick my feet up right off the street I'm never wearing me a black wetsuit.

SPEAKER_01 46:33

They'll think I'm a sea line. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 46:36

That's right. But um I it's something I wanted to get back in and I was so fortunate uh to find a a group called Rise Up Surf Retreats. And how'd you find was there a bunch of them or was there only a couple of them that you had to choose from when you started looking so I you know I didn't really know I was talking to a friend of mine uh Lee Porter and because you know she knew I loved surfing when I was growing up and I was talking to her during you know my change of life and she Was she a surfer? No but she knew I loved to surf. So she went to school in California a little small uh it's a liberal arts school called Westmont it was in Santa Barbara and so I went out twice in college she had a buddy took me out surfing you know we we were talking about the other days like I where I was I think it was Rencon and That's cold water. Yeah let's see baby I mean Pacific Ocean. But it's crazy I even I look back on it how did I paddle out?

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Like I didn't know what I mean I knew you know enough but I didn't have seen it on TV I figured I could do it.

SPEAKER_02 47:38

Exactly I mean kind of same way. But some surfed out there I mean it was it wasn't you know I did I because I didn't know exactly how other than watching on TV thinking you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

You had no technique no training nothing.

SPEAKER_02 47:50

Exactly so I spoke with her because she had a friend that went on a rise up surf retreat. And so then I got on the internet website looked it up I'm like man this sounds just what I need.

SPEAKER_01 48:03

Except for the accommodations. Yeah well I mean you can rough it a lot easier than I can yeah I mean but so AC has to be number one.

SPEAKER_02 48:12

Well I know you enjoy your A C and your luxury that's for sure. I don't mind sleeping in the corner you know no I know you you I've seen that uh and within the last week or so right but it was interesting because uh there are two locations well I was wanting to go I think this is a shot but there was another one this is a good shot of you.

SPEAKER_01 48:32

Yeah it's a good one. I mean because your half wetsuit there yeah because that must be in either Costa Rica or Nicaragua.

SPEAKER_02 48:39

Yeah that one's probably and I I'm looking at that that might have been in Nicaragua and that's what I was going to say the first where I wanted to go initially they had a a retreat in the Oso Peninsula down in Costa Rica. It looked just amazing but they didn't have any available dates when I was ready to go and I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever go to Nicaragua.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Right. I mean that's not where you you you think about hey I'm gonna go down to Nicaragua last time I heard about Nicaragua there was like a war with the Contras and the Sandinistas you know in the 1980s. Exactly and so let's just say when that topic came up and I was you know telling people like death squads were going around to get the surfers. I thought I was out of my mind. But now it's one of my favorite places But you know that's the thing about people jumping to conclusions and not knowing what they're talking about.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

Yeah Nicaragua what are you crazy?

SPEAKER_01 49:28

Yeah the reality about the situation probably the safest place in the world right now. It is pretty good. It is pretty good. So I mean I gather from talking to you that Nicaragua is your favorite spot to go surf with the group known as La Familia in Rise Up. That is correct. All right um this is a group photo that we got from you yeah uh and this is just a collection of like minded people that's exactly right right I mean it's they like to surf they probably like yoga um you know they like to have a good time in the offs off yeah and you know have a meal together. Oh yeah all that and it's really uh the focus is not probably other topics other than you know just the waves just good times man yeah and I bet you that is nice it's nice to get away only if the accommodations that's yeah they're a little bit better for you but yeah but you're right man like minded people just good vibes I mean look for being a surfer you just kind of have to have that kind of you know attitude you know have you gotten better at the actual art of surfing since you I have I mean have there been techniques that you've learned things that made it easier to stay on the board balance catch a wave even yes because you know actually one of the most difficult parts at least for me is actually catching the wave.

SPEAKER_02 50:54

Right just because I see the instructor sometimes giving people a little push. Right. And that's what's so nice about Rise Up and they they they do everything it's surf coaches in the water they video your waves take you know fo photographs and it's just an amazing outfit. But yeah they're there help you you know they're in the water with you and if it you need a shove they're gonna give you a shove.

SPEAKER_01 51:17

So people that are listening to this who may think well I've always wanted to learn to surf or go surf or do surfing and you know and they're kind of adventurous people is this something they could sign up for or do you need or do you need to have some level of proficiency?

SPEAKER_02 51:33

You you could go with rise up surf retreats and never even uh thought about surf surfing. Okay. Yeah. I mean they they break from the ground level up and it's amazing the progression I've seen so uh three girls um that I met in in Guatemala on a birthday in in 2025. And that that picture right there was my uh birthday trip of this last year. Um this one? Yeah but they were had never surfed before and now they're cra catching green waves which means they're out paddling out there where the waves are coming in versus people learn on the white water. You know they're just barely yeah but it's it's amazing uh they're so good at what they do Chad and and where I am in my progression now I I'm I'm happy where I am you know like with regard it's just small stuff like sh your stance your pop-up like where where are your hands at? Where you know what's your stance you know how are you standing on the board? 'Cause it makes a difference in how you move so I'm Bowdo.

SPEAKER_01 52:36

I just saw this point break was on this morning when I got up and it was at the very end of the show where Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze are handcuffed together. He's like, come on man let me go and there was these huge waves that they had gone to catch. Yes and you know the end is you know he he died in the in the wave and but that's what he wanted. But if you're gonna go down I guess that's you know it's probably a pretty good way to go and it could be a little bit more tragic but now is there any is there any like sightseeing or or extracurriculars when you go on these surf trips where you get to see a little of the country I see a photo of you here. Yeah you know uh you're hanging loose and I don't know if you got your shoes on or what. I do. Because we hiked up to a waterfall.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

Okay. And uh and this is just me jumping like from the the side you know across the the falls. But uh yeah there's a lot of fun activities. You get to see the area uh you know the locals um on the they have activities from horseback riding to they'll do a boat trip um there's and hikes and those kind of things but it's it's fun because local brew? Well yeah but the yeah that and most of the time these countries only have like one don't they? Well my favorite is Tonya T-O-N-I-A. T-O-N-A. Okay. But the squiggly I don't know what you call it in Spanish O-N.

SPEAKER_01 53:57

Swenos Tonya Tony but that all of them have their own what does that mean in Spanish?

SPEAKER_02 54:04

I think I looked it up one time and you're not even as curious as mine. I did look it up I think it's like a a name or like a female name or something like that. Okay. I can't m remember the people what does it taste like?

SPEAKER_01 54:14

It tastes like pure gold baby Okay. Pure gold for the people who have drank beer that see this show is this like an IPA like a a red a lager a light it's a it's like a logger it's like your typical like Dose. Yeah exactly it's that modello exactly it's just that country's version. Yeah so Costa Rica has Imperial how much is a beer over there when you go to Nicaragua. Well it depends on where you are but I mean like I mean it could be like if you're not getting gypped as a foreigner it's about eighty cents or I mean yeah you your money goes a long way over there. Yes it does. The trips with Rise Up because it sounds like a good outfit that you vouch for. Oh yeah totally for people and people come from all over the U.S.

SPEAKER_02 55:02

All over the U.S. all over the world I mean Canadians it's amazing how many people from Canada either live and or they come down on these surf trips. I guess they got to get out of the cold.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

Yeah you know and um I guess they have their own magazine or something because they they did a piece on you in their magazine and and we see Rise Up Surf Retreats. I don't know if this is a a website article or what the or a magazine what is it it's it's a website.

SPEAKER_02 55:28

So they're they're this is from their website and it's under their journal. So they'll have every now and then so this Lack campaign I was about to say do you know Lack? I don't have not met him in person but you know we've we've communicated through WhatsApp and you know I follow him he follows me on the Instagram but uh he's from I think it's from it might have been like Portugal he's he's from somewhere over over that are these people that are living in Nicaragua or these people that are somewhere else with Rise Up that arrange these trips in different countries? So most of the people like so some these people they use some you know outsourcing associated with different things but most people uh they live either in Nicaragua or they're in Costa Rica. And on some on the trips you'll always have local surf instructors uh there'll be some that are from from Spain probably the best are local right well they're great I mean they're all fantastic and they know the waves they know the terrain everything but uh and then so Costa Rica they have another bunch. So um yeah but most of them are are from Central America, you know maybe Mexico. But yeah they're they're incredible and they're just the most loving people man.

SPEAKER_01 56:38

They're so happy and just beautiful. Well you gave an article and I and I had a chance to look at it. Yeah. It's funny how um a lot of these words I mean apply to you very specifically right? Yes. Inspiration. I mean you you seem inspired uh to go on these trips to be a part of this group not really knowing who they are the first time you ever watched that's that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 57:02

I mean I mean like you didn't know anybody did you the first time I went, yeah that my first trip, yeah I just went. I didn't know anybody. But that's what's so wild that these instant connections and then I developed connections with with the staff and all those people.

SPEAKER_01 57:15

Now it's like you are a people person. Yes. I mean that's your strong suit for sure. I mean I I'm not surprised you went down there and immediately after one trip had made some inroads with the people right but people watching this have to ask themselves would they be willing even if they love s uh surfing to go on their own to Nicaragua with a group they didn't know? I would say yes. I mean you just have to have an open mind to say I mean most people would not I don't think you're gonna meet people maybe different from your thinking right?

SPEAKER_02 57:48

Trevor Burrus But And you're gonna like 'em. Yeah. And because every I mean it's just an amazing one, you're spending you get up, I mean you're up at five o'clock. Yeah let's let's go through a a schedule on a surf day. Right. Get up at five you know have coffee maybe some granola those kind of things a light breakfast. Yeah I figured granola with you guys then you're heading to wherever you're surfing at you know to be there at six. You're not staying on the ocean or anything or well you can so there's different locations right you can walk that like at the northern location you walk you know to Nahalapa that's that's the break there.

SPEAKER_01 58:30

What is a what's point break? That was the name of the movie I saw and you mentioned it in your article what is a point break?

SPEAKER_02 58:37

So let's look at like say the edge of your table right okay so it's just basically where the like say that jounts off but then the beach comes back here, right? Right. So when the when the swell comes in it hits the this point. Right. And so then the wave continues and it's it it goes it peels for a long time. On a beach break there's like sandbars created by waves when you're walking on the sand you can see it's like this underwater. And those shift around based on currents and things like that. But point breaks they're basically it's you know typically rock or they're not moving. They're not moving. And it all swell dependable with regard to that you know how big the swell is for it to be working correctly. But yeah a point is just it's coming in and so it hits something and then it's curling but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:24

Do you paddle out there because that's where the best waves are?

SPEAKER_02 59:27

Well one thing it's great about point breaks, one they're they're consistent, you know where it's the way the wave's going every time it could be a left hander, which means when you talk about going left, it's it's your left not like when you're looking at the beach, you know the left would you know it's kind of opposite.

SPEAKER_01 59:42

Like it's kind of like you can see which way it's going.

SPEAKER_02 59:46

I mean it's because it and the beautiful thing about that is it peels out, then there's a channel to paddle back out so you're not where you're not against the wave.

SPEAKER_01 59:54

Yeah right on the beach break I'm ready yeah let's go you want to go here he's singing it's going to be no I mean uh well it's uh it says the Texan lawyer which brings into you know uh what we talked about earlier you're a diabetic you're a lawyer you're a father uh and you're certainly a phonetic yes yeah in many things I mean turned surf fanatic right uh yeah and I I think uh you know enthusiasm is a better word to describe you wouldn't you say yeah I think so I mean I'm just enth I'm enthusiastic about uh life in general but just people I meet and just you know I just have a joy and love for I really have a love for people. I think you do and I I feel that uh you know I'm curious when when's the last time you you know you uh have ever been disappointed?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:41

Well I mean life's got disappointments but but I've I've I really think in in my journey about this chapter in my life is just mentally you know you're you can control this thing on top of your head right I mean it's yours right it'll try to bring up things that may not be the most happiest or or most nothing you can maybe you can't control. Right. But I've learned is like hey man this is my brain I don't have to listen to all that noise and stuff right but with disappointment you know um if there is something I I just I handle I handle it different than what it is right I handle it different.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:24

You know there's a book someone gave me and I read it's called As a Man Thinketh and it was it's kind of along those lines it's like you know you can control even bad situations how you think about it. And it seems like you've been doing that a big part of your life with this type one diabetes. Yeah totally right I mean I mean 'cause it it is it would be easy to fall back into poor me, I'm scared to death, I'm about to die, I don't have long, something's gonna happen in the future right?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:54

I mean Yeah I I'm just in a sense like I'm gonna manage whatever this thing is so because I want to be doing this. I don't want to be I'm gonna manage like even if it's tough, always in my subconscious, whatever I'm doing, but I'm just gonna do what I want to do and and this is secondary with regard to even though it's important primary right my physical health but I'm not gonna let that stuff slow me down. Like just like you said like if I was someplace and hey I didn't have insulin like oh we I left my I got to change my pod but it's at the house I just kind of say hey this is this is where we are right now man. You know it's gonna be there.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:33

We got to figure out a way to get there.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:34

Right and and at the same time still enjoying others and if if I'm somewhere like with other people and not to like burden them with regard to like my things.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:43

Yeah no I I mean I feel like you know I know you uh I'm close enough with you where you know if anybody can talk and joke with you about something serious it's me because it's it's you know we're not we're not letting it take us over that we're on razor's edge all the time. Right. Right? You got a tattoo, a new one uh on your forum what is it this one man?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:06

Yeah this is one of my favorites. Siempre desfrontando always enjoying that's kind of like m that's like my theme man for life. Just enjoy life. We have it right we're fortunate to have it and we're not enjoying while you have it.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:20

Yeah no right but why not enjoy you while you have it. And we don't know uh exactly how we will enjoy the afterlife, right? I mean we don't know what the interactions will be like exactly you know and but we know physically we have uh you know relationships with humans that can be positive or be negative. Trevor Burrus All that we know is what we know now and we know we're alive. I think I am so let's uh I can live it buddy you know I sorry about that you know because in the magazine I wrote I I circled what you said uh I have a passion for life I enjoy meeting new people I cherish good times and of course I love surfing and that pretty much other than love of family you've pretty much caught everything that's important to you I think yeah that's pretty much a pretty good summary because I mean I know family's important to you even though uh it's like some people who uh you know faith is important to them but they don't spend all their time talking about it. Right. Right? I mean it doesn't mean they don't think it's important in their lives. No it's very important. Uh huh so I understand that and um you know do you have any kind of goals for surfing like you know maybe I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to learn this. Is there anything that's kind of on your bucket list? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:39

I mean there's obviously things you know like every time you go they'll say hey what do you want to what's your what what do you want to do this trip? Do you want to what's your progressing and so mine this time because I'm going in a month that's part of my schedule right back to Nicaragua.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:56

Exactly you were there in January for your birthday. Oh yeah. Now will there be any more trips the rest of the year?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:03

Oh yeah. There will be I try to go my my goal with regard to that is once a quarter. All right well don't forget about Zach's wedding he's that's on the calendar it's not going away but it's kind of like my mental health too you know take a little break from it's a recharge for you right recharge.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:21

And plus you know you can only see Heather and Tracy so often I mean you need to get a you need to you need to get a little it'll change of scenery, right? Yeah. But okay so you're back to Nicaragua. Are the waves in that month any better or do the months ever matter seasonal?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:40

The months matter. So the dry season is typically November to kind of begin of April. Dry means not raining. Not raining. Okay. But it also means there's not big swells that come in no storms. Storms create swells. Right and the rainy rise up I mean you got this buddy

SPEAKER_01 1:06:00

Tell lack about me.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:02

Reach out. But yeah, right. So typically, yeah, rainy season you're gonna have bigger swells. And then in the dry season, it's more consistent, you know? It's like that that one right there, like you're just looking at that. I mean, it's a decent sized wave. It hadn't fully formed up, but yeah, you're gonna get pretty consistent waves. And it's not gonna be waves that beginners or people who are learning to get in trouble. I mean, they're they're not gonna pound you down. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:26

Uh Nicaragua, you know the focus, is it really the group La Familia that makes you like Nicaragua, or is it the the waves or something more specific about the geography?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:39

Well, I really love the uh I mean La Familia, man, it's it's amazing. And then just the connections that reach out uh through the community from that. But the waves are very very consistent, you know. They have a lot of different um I'd say spots not working. Well, there's gonna be a spot that's working. So there's always a there's always options associated with the brakes.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:02

What are the surfing options in the U.S. that people generally go to? Yeah, typically, you know, probably it you know, well, outside of Hawaii, obviously Hawaii.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:10

No, I'm just say the 49th. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, California, Southern California. Um obviously, you know, northern Northern California, but you know, you got cold water. Well, that's cold up there. Cold water, you know, and obviously cold water, you got other other species in the ocean that you may not want to be paddling around with. Are sharks a cold water species? Which typically, you know, don't get me, but you typically hear about them, you know, co like Australia, right? Um, you know, California.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:39

But then Jaws was on the on the Atlantic side.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:42

But then but then the Atlantic, the Gulf, you see that happen, you know, time to time. There's gonna be a swimmer out there that, you know, gets beat in Florida and stuff like that. So, you know, it's just part of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:54

I mean, what about the waves? Are there I mean, and is Nicaragua better than, say, in your mind, these waves around the coast of the U.S. Well, I think what it is is its consistency.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:04

So in Nicaragua, they have two huge lakes, Lake Managua and Lake N Lake Nicaragua. And so you during you get a lot of offshore winds. That means the wind's blowing from off the shore. So when the waves are coming, wind's blowing this way. So it holds the waves up that it makes it a cleaner face. Onshore wind, it kind of tumbles pushes the wave down. So you get a lot of consistent with regard to those kind of factors when you're talking about surfing.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:28

Well, let's talk about uh maybe a destination outside of Nicaragua. Do you have any interest in one day before you die surf in a certain spot?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:36

Yeah. I mean, uh we didn't talk about Costa, but Costa is one of my favorites due to the fact that in the ocean they're they're point breaks, they're all point breaks.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:44

So that means there must be some rocky everywhere. In the right-handed point breaks. Do you have to worry about being thrown into the rocks?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:51

Yes, you do. And it's difficult when you're walking out. I mean, because you're walking on rocks, you know. Can't you wear those shoes? You could, I guess. Do you wear those? No, I don't wear those.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:00

I mean, those little booties with a hard bottom, that'd be cool. If it was rubber, wouldn't it stay on the board better? Yeah. Give you a little better balance? Yeah, it could. But is that looked down upon as not real size?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:10

I would think so, because you know it's funny, and we'll I'll I'll get back to the initial question. Just like in skiing, if you get you've got, you know, you remember when you skied in a toboggan? Yep. But now you go skiing and everyone's got what on? A helmet? Exactly. So even surfing's kind of advancing in that direction too. Helmets? Helmets. Because not only for the bottom, but but these fins on surfboards can be very, very sharp. You know, not I mean it's it's a plastic, right? But if it hit you, you you know it can cut you. And so they're developing helmets with like a plastic type thing. So if you know, a lot of people get hit by the board. So safety's always progressing and progressing in every kind of um, you know, sports.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:49

So um, I I don't uh what what we're talking about is the is the you know the rocks, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:57

The rocks and and the um and whether that was a danger uh uh the closer you were surfing to a point. Yeah. I mean that is a that is a danger.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:05

I mean because like if I mean people get s cut and scrapes all the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:08

I mean you don't see that all you do is you think about surfing, people are on the water, they crash in the water, they get up and go back out.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:13

No, but there's yeah, there's things on the bottom that you know that can't affect you if you if you uh fall on them.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:19

I mean, is Nicaragua I mean it must it's economical and good waves? Yes. I mean, like it's cheaper to to go there than to go stay in Southern California at a hotel and try to go surf. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:30

And everything that they have everything you need. You could basically take, you know, a couple of swimsuits and that's uh you could get by for the entire week. You don't need a lot. They have the board for you. They've got food, they're gonna feed you every day. Um they got you know, tonya. They got beer? Yeah, they got tonya. So it's part of the yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:47

I mean, you could out drink them out of you could you could turn them upside down on the on the on the daily.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:52

My man Paul and I, this is uh trip in I think it was last November, and um plus the the the guys that were down there from from Rise Up, their crew, good buddies, uh my buddy Elmer, uh Norvin, Newman, Cheppo. I mean, I think we drank them out of Tonya that week. I bet y'all did. Yeah. I bet y'all. But I bet y'all tried if you didn't. Yeah, yeah, it was it was good times. But to circle back and I yeah, Spain. I want to go I would I'd like to surf in Spain. Um one, I like Spain. My that's my son went uh studied abroad there at uh Salamanca. You went and visited and visited and up north they have a really cool surfing community and uh uh Manu, another surf instructor who's from northern uh Spain, and his girlfriend, June, she's from the Basque Country, which all you know, it's it's so cool up there. But yeah, they're from up there and they have surf schools and and during the off season when they're not working in Central America. So yeah, those are there's all sorts of spots, but Spain would I feel would be a cool spot to I mean is there any surfing in the Mediterranean?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:52

I mean, I I've never really heard that.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:55

It's Mediterranean would be more similar to like the Gulf. You know, you're not gonna it's because it's you're not having big swells come through, you know. Like Spain, you got the whole Atlantic, you know. I mean, if people watch that, which I would never do, and no one in their right mind unless you're just your adrenaline junkie and life is really, you know, um you know, people have seen that hundred foot wave, I think it's on been on HBO.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:17

Yeah, I was about to say that where are those huge.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:18

So that's Nazarene, and that's in Portugal. And so it's interesting with regard to that wave, because waves, you know, you're it's it's uh you know, swells from storms, you know, there can be wind. And then it's the bottom that how when the wave hits the the you know the shallow that builds the wave and how it's gonna what it's gonna do. So Nazarene's crazy. I mean, that thing's like a some sort of canyon, all the way almost you know, to to the shoreline. Yeah. And so you have water moving and it just hits the shallow with nothing to you know, no there's no yeah, but it doesn't slow down.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:55

That's how it could slam you?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:57

Oh yeah, yeah, those things are yeah, crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:59

I wonder if that was where they were in the movie Point Break. I can't remember what they were.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:04

Yeah, it was something like crazy life.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:05

But you're probably not gonna surf that one.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:07

No. I do enjoy life, but I enjoy life. I like living, right? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

That's too tough. Well, this has been interesting. Uh I've enjoyed uh digging deep with you. I of course know you and talk to you more than anything, and I love you, man. I love you too. Um and uh I think it was interesting for people to hear both about diabetes uh and and the struggles that you have and what you know, and part of the reason why you enjoy life like you do, which leads to the surfing that we all learned about. Yes. Maybe we'll inspire someone to sign up for rise up trips from around here and go down there with you. We'd love to have you down there for sure, man. It's always good to have a little surfing buddy. Man, I love you. Thanks. Love you, take it too much.