Surfing the Wave

image from Joe Rouse's (joserouse) photobucket page.

I was going to save this post for another day when I would have more time to solve the meaning of life, but a phone call changed that.  The caller asked if I had any upcoming plans to do something exciting, such as surfing.  We've never discussed surfing before, and she had no logical reason to ask that. I don't have any plans to surf--more on that below--but I had just been thinking about the art of surfing.

I think studying surfing can teach important life lessons, but so can surfing.  My fear of sharks keeps me on the sidelines, and if you've seen Sharknado, you should be afraid as well.  Sharks and bad production don't mix well.

Close your eyes and imagine you are in the water waiting to catch a wave.  You'll need to turn on text to speech, or have someone read the following to you since your eyes are now closed.  Listen to the sound of the waves rolling In while you wait for your set. Feel the warm breeze tickle the hairs on your neck.  An impending meditative state is moments away while you wait for a suitable wave. You'll know it when you see it.  Once it appears, do everything in your power to get on it.  The unity of the natural strength of the wave, your board, and your body create a force beyond that which can easily be explained.  You are floating, flying, and carving on a wall of water.  The rush is exceptional, but it is fleeting.  Something that pure and powerful isn't meant to be experienced in anything more than short bursts.  The sensory overload would be too much for our fragile bodies. That's why you have to line up to catch another wave and do it all again.

Surfing isn't all sunshine and happiness though. Every ride doesn't end with a peaceful drop off the wave. Sometimes the waves fight back and hit with incredible force. Big impacts can have serious consequences that can't be understood without feeling them. The contrast heightens the positive vibes. 

A good surfer won't watch another surfer and think they could have done a better job on that wave.  They weren't on that wave.  You can only surf the wave you are on and within your own capabilities.  Don't try to surf someone else's wave.  I'm told surfers get upset if you steal a wave by cutting in front as well. 

Yet knowing that, I'm guilty of sometimes watching others live the life I think I should be living instead of building that life for myself.  I wonder if this is one of the reasons "reality" TV shows are so popular.  Two disparate events caused me to abstain from reality shows.  The first was the moment I realized that watching Flipping Out left me stressed, and then my mind imploded when I realized several of the women on The Real Housewives series weren't  housewives, and some of them weren't even married!

Spending time focusing on someone else riding a wave may cause you to miss your wave.  No matter how good someone else's wave looks, there will always be another, better one rolling in behind it.  Are you going to be ready to paddle onto it, or will you miss it?  I know I'll be ready next time--metaphorically speaking, because you will not be reading about me being maimed by a disgruntled shark.

This will also get me to stop taking air out of tires of faster cars at the track.  I'll work on winning my DE's the old-fashioned way:  bravado and excuses.  Oh, I almost forgot to tell you to open your eyes now.  That would have been awkward if you were stuck with your eyes closed all day.