It’s been a minute since Sterling Spencer’s dropped a surf clip. That’s a shame. His opus, “GOLD,” which he released back in 2015 was, as the name suggests, gold. All of it. From a Bob Saget cameo to jokes about being Laird Hamilton’s father, “GOLD” was the crescendo of a life devoted to turning the surf world on its head and not taking things so seriously.
About the time “GOLD” came out, Sterling used its release to get something off his chest. He’d been battling depression for some time – reaching a low point during the making of the film. Since, he’s been open about his personal struggles with mental health, offering words of encouragement to others in the same boat.
“For all the people who are suffering right now from anxiety and depression…. it’s okay to be where you are right now,” wrote Sterling in an April 6 Instagram post. “I’ll never forget my lowest point when I lost all my sponsorships and had to get my dog registered as a (sic) emotional support animal…I went from a traveling pro surfer to could barely go to grocery store without my dog … but I wouldn’t change it for the world because through my suffering I now see the light! My mind has been freed .. much love to your journey to health.”
This recent little film “Present Moment…Wonderful Moment” is both a tribute to re-connecting with what makes surfing fun (experimenting with shapes) and a reminder that Sterling rips (as if we needed one).
The video description comes with a four-line poem to emphasize the point:
Riding a wave for the first time
My mind totally free from comparison
Completely engaged in what I’m doing
Realizing it’s all play
“The truth is, you don’t struggle with depression, you struggle with the reality we live in,” says Sterling. “The less you worry about what people think, the less complicated your life becomes.”
Wise words from the Pensacola-based funny man.
