Well you know I just continue to marvel at the lessons I learn every day. Today was a beautiful day at the beach, sunny, nice breeze, great waves…perfect for surfing. I don’t surf but I do like to watch others surfing so I was really happy today when a bunch of women showed up at the beach, boards in tow and wetsuits zipped up tight. It was ccccoooollllddd in the water, I know because I bravely stuck my toe in and then asked the women…it’s about 60 f they said. Yikes, freezing cold on their faces which were not covered up, red cheeks proving that to be true but they went anyway.
So I watch and I wait. Surfing is hard work judging by what I saw today. You’ve got to catch the wave just right, you’ve got to have impeccable balance, timing and tenacity, you’ve got to be persistent…in other words you gotta really love doing this to get good at it. I watched for an hour and in that time there were only about five times that anybody had what I would call a good run on the waves but what I think doesn’t matter to the surfers. They fell, they hit the freezing water face first, they looked like they might give up a few times but then they’d paddle out again and start all over…Wow, wow, wow…I was really impressed. I had no idea how much work surfing was and I have to say I have a renewed respect for those people who make it look easy. That just means they’ve been falling for years and getting right back up again no matter what.
So, here’s a salute to all those “surfer dudes and dudettes” who obviously love what they’re doing: thank you for the lessons, thank you for the inspiration, thank you for the joy of watching you full on in your passion and your play and your place with the waves. I had a blast and I am grateful to you for that. Gives me a great reflection on life too, just so you know….We fall, we hit our breaking point, we have uncomfortable things happen: some of us get back up again and again and again and some of us don’t…Some of us know our purpose, some of us don’t, some are seeking, some have stopped, some don’t care anymore and some care so much it hurts….No matter where you are in this path, a beginner or an elder…just keep on following your passion!
Living la vida fearless, Jan
